Misfits to Masters: Building Empowered Design Teams

Design teams are a unique and diverse group, especially when in professional settings. The culture and collaboration is different from those in accounting, administration, or other more traditional professions, and the team members require a different environment to be successful. During this presentation, we’ll review the techniques that have proven to create a positive culture for creatives, and some that haven’t. We’ll also discuss what a misfit truly is, the true definition of empowered, generalists vs. specialists, reverse trust model for all new hires, and even hear from a former team member turned partner, Jenna Marino.

Schedule

6:00pm - 6:30pm | Doors open & refreshments

6:30pm - 7:30pm | Presentation and Q&A

7:30pm - 8:00pm | Closing remarks & Networking

Ticket Prices

FREE for students

$5 for AIGA members

$10 for non-members

Your ticket includes a drink ticket.

*AIGA members please login to your AIGA account to see pricing discount

**Students please bring a valid student ID to check-in

About the Presenter

Justin Tucker is a Founding Partner of AGNT and the head of Ops & Strategy for their team. Like the other founding partners of AGNT, Justin started his professional career in design with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design from Hofstra University in New York.

Design, Development, Marketing, Project Management, Photography, Videography, Audio Engineering, Copywriting.... Justin has led, directed, and/or worked on just about everything in the design world. His career has taken many twists and turns over the years, but has always been on a creative path. This journey includes a sabbatical to go on tour as a bassist in a rock group and a separate one to travel & tour playing semi-professional poker; both playing to his creative strengths and interpersonal skills.

His unique experiences and perspectives allow him to collaborate, cultivate, and create connections others may not see. His first creative team began in 2008 when he was the creative director for a leading manufacturer of decorative plumbing appliances. In 2012, he was then recruited and moved to Cincinnati to be Partner and COO of young design agency, eMedia Design Co, and helped build that from a team of 4 to 12 before it was acquired in 2018. Once acquired by ITX Corp, Justin was tasked with building the Product Marketing team with only 3 long-term team members from the acquisition. Justin’s methods of team management and growth quickly spread through the company as best practices and became the preferred team to be on. In 2021, Justin left the corporate culture and returned to studio life, starting AGNT with 2 of his previous team members, solidifying the culture and professional environment he has cultivated on his teams.

Venue & Parking Information

Boars Room is the secretive, blue building at 1301 Holman St in Covington, KY. Ring the doorbell on the front door and mention the passcode, “Cincy Design Week” for entry.

Free Street Parking

When & Where
Thu, Oct 6, 2022 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT
1301 Holman St
1301 Holman Street
Covington, KY 41011