Advisory Board
Frank Anello
Frank Anello, principal of Anello Design, has over nineteen years of design experience working with corporate and nonprofit businesses. His work is currently focused in the areas of visual identity systems, strategic planning, business development marketing materials and publications; with clients including a variety of academic, cultural, and professional institutions. Prior to establishing his own visual communications consultancy, Frank spent eight years as design manager for Lipman Hearne, a Chicago based multidisciplinary communications group specializing in the marketing of intangibles. Frank has a BFA in Graphic Design from Ohio University and an MFA in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design, where he also taught undergraduate design courses. When not working, Frank can be found bike riding, practicing yoga or trapeze flying.
Bart Crosby
Bart is president of Crosby Associates Inc., specialists in planning and designing organizational, product, event, and initiative identification and branding programs. His work has been recognized by the AIGA, American Center for Design, New York and Los Angeles Art Directors Clubs and The Type Directors Club among others. He's been featured in design and business publications, lectured at conferences and universities, been an advisor to Emory University Business School, and taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Bart has been executive vice president and a director of the AIGA and is a founding member and past president of the Chicago Chapter. He is also a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale.
Joseph Michael Essex
Joseph Michael Essex along with his partner and wife Nancy Denney Essex are principals of Essex Two. The offices’ focus is on Cultural Branding™ and strategic communication. He has been on this chapter’s board in one form or another since it's start. In his almost 35 year career, Joseph has received more than 400 awards from every major communication publication and organization, including medals from the NY Art Directors Club. His posters are in collections throughout the world as well as MOMA and the National Design Museum in NY. He has lectured extensively on design as a process and creativity as craft.
Marcia Lausen
Marcia is an outspoken advocate for the value of design in corporate, consumer, nonprofit, and government communications. She is founder of Studio/lab's Chicago office and Director of the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she is also a Professor of graphic design. Former AIGA Chicago President, Marcia now serves on the AIGA national board leading the election design initiative of AIGA Design for Democracy. She received her MFA in graphic design from Yale University and her BFA in graphic design from Indiana University. Marcia was recently featured as a master of design in Fast Company magazine.
Steve Liska
Steve founded Liska + Associates, a communication design and branding firm with offices in Chicago and New York, in 1980.He is also chairman of the board of directors of the nonprofit organization Make A Better Place (MABP). Steve frequently contributes his time to the national chapter of the AIGA, the professional association for design, and is a founding member of AIGA's Brand Council. In the past, he has held positions on the national AIGA board and as president of AIGA-Chicago.
Wendy Pressley-Jacobs
Wendy Pressley-Jacobs founded Pressley Jacobs Design, Inc in 1985 based on a precept that good design is integral to good communication. Prior to forming Pressley Jacobs, Wendy was Vice President/Design at Goldsholl Design and Film Companies; Vice President,Creative Group Director: Design Group at Burson-Marsteller; and Principal Design Manager at Design Planning Group. She was educated in graphic design and liberal arts at Indiana University, graduating with a BFA degree in graphic design.
Mitch Rice
Few call him Mitchell, most call him Mitch, and some call him hurricane (mostly due to his lack of prowess on the basketball court), and hardly anyone knows that his real name is Raymond. 3CD has been producing communication design for educational, cultural, and corporate clients since 1989. Tony Porto is the other partner at 3CD. Since opening, Mitch has not designed a single thing on his own, every piece has been a collaboration between the partners, other designers, writers, and clients. 3CD has self-authored 2 children’s books published by Little Brown and Company, they designed & produced them as well. Mitch graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor of arts in graphic design in 1984. He drives a Saab 9-5 because his wife thinks its safer for their 2 boys than the VW beetle.
Lance Rutter
Lance is a founding partner of Tanagram (1992), now Tanagram Partners, which followed his work as senior designer and design director at several respected Chicago firms. He is a steadfast believer in the value a strategic design process can bring to complex problems and organizations, but he has not lost any love for beautifully designed artifacts. Lance currently serves on the national AIGA Board of Directors and as a Chicago Advisory Board member. He served as the President of AIGA Chicago from 1999-2001 and as its first New Media Director from 1998-1999. Under Lance¹s direction, Tanagram has been recognized with design awards from a large number of national and international competitions, and their work has been published many times in books and magazines over the past 13 years. He has lectured and taught at university design schools, exhibited his work, and served as a juror for significant design scholarship and professional award competitions.
Jilly Simons
After years in South Africa, Jilly Simons now finds herself as principal of Concrete, the Chicagographic design office she started in 1987. Her design philosophy searches for a visual language which stresses honesty, originality and strength. Jilly works hard for her clients and many of their projects have been honored, exhibited and published internationally and are in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. She's frequently invited to lecture andjudge design competitions. She's taught at the University of Illinois (UIC), Kent State University, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Robert Morris College. She currently serves on the Chicago AIGA Advisory Board and was a director on the executive board of both the Chicago AIGA and the American Center for Design.
