Benjamin Palmer

PRESIDENT, ART DIRECTORS CLUB, NEW YORK NY

Benjamin Palmer, CEO of The Barbarian Group, has been elected to serve a three-year term as the 58th president of the Art Directors Club. Palmer co-founded the interactive agency and has served as its head since company inception in 2001. He has quickly risen as one of the most recognized and respected voices in the interactive advertising community, and The Barbarian Group was most recently named as one of the world’s 50 most innovative companies by Fast Company. Palmer joined the ADC board in 2008, and has played an active role in club direction and programming. Palmer succeeds Doug Jaeger, president, JaegerSloan, Inc., who when appointed at age 33 was the youngest president in ADC’s 91-year history. “Benjamin Palmer is absolutely the right person to lead ADC,” says Jaeger. “He’s a hardcore entrepreneur and artist who has proven himself as a successful creative, leader and businessperson. He’s brought valuable partnerships to ADC, helped curate activities and made key contributions to club direction. Benjamin’s approach to the creative process and the field overall will be a great asset to ADC, its members and the global creative community.”

Steff Geissbuhler

TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT, NEW YORK NY

Steff Geissbuhler, a partner for 30 years at Chermayeff & Geismar and then co-founder of C&G Partners, has transitioned from partner of the firm to continue his career as an independent consultant. His focus continues to be on brand identities and visual communications. According to an official announcement, he will continue to be involved in ongoing projects with the firm and select future projects, as well as working with clients of his own. Geissbuhler is among America’s most celebrated designers of integrated brand and corporate identity programs. His work has been honored with the AIGA Medal, the U.S. Federal Achievement Design Award and awards from the Art Director’s Clubs and the International Poster Biennales. Geissbuhler served as the U.S. president of the AGI and has been a member of the board of the AIGA. He is a past president of AIGA’s New York chapter and is presently serving on its board. Clients have included NBC, Merck, Time Warner, Univision and Telemundo, Voice of America, Toledo Museum of Art, National Parks of New York Harbor, the New York Public Library, Crane & Co., Calamos Investments, Alhurra TV, IBM, Alvin Ailey, The Kaplan Thaler Group, The CUNY Graduate Center and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. He has taught at the Philadelphia College of Art, Cooper Union and Yale University, and he lectures throughout the country.

Tom Tekulve

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, MARSH, INC., CINCINNATI OH

Tom Tekulve is now providing design oversight on Marsh, Inc.’s consumer packaged goods business, including current brands Sherwin-Williams, Heater Meals, Robeks, as well as new business initiatives. Tekulve has spent two decades in the business, working on packaging, advertising and promotional work at LPK and Interbrand, among others. He was most recently Design Director at LPK.

Johnny Le

VICE PRESIDENT, MANAGER INTERACTIVE SERVICES, LINCOLN NE

Swanson Russell ups Johnny Le to Vice President, Manager of Interactive Services. With his promotion, Le becomes an officer of Swanson Russell, Nebraska’s largest marketing communications firm. Under his direction, the interactive department has continued its rapid growth and now employs more than 20 people. Le leads the interactive department to combine user experience strategy, technology and creativity in building real digital experiences, including websites, digital advertising and other digital communications.

Matt Dimmer

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, HIGH WIDE & HANDSOME, LOS ANGELES CA

Matt Dimmer, recently an associate creative director at Euro Chicago, joins Los Angeles independent shop HIGH WIDE & HANDSOME. During his more than three years at Euro, Dimmer contributed to a variety of notable business wins including Canadian Club Whisky, Cracker Barrel and Reynolds/Hefty. This move marks a return to Southern California for Dimmer, who served as a senior art director at Vitrorobertson in San Diego prior to moving to the Midwest. At HIGH WIDE & HANDSOME, he assumes the role of associate creative director and spearheads efforts on the agency’s multiple wine, spirits and video game accounts. Says HW&H co-founder and chief creative officer Mike Wolfsohn. “Matt is one of those rare guys who has the ability to improve a shop’s culture, it’s work and it’s trajectory — we’re thrilled he’s chosen to join us.”

Renata Florio

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, WING, NEW YORK NY

Wing, an agency within WPP’s Grey Group, has appointed Renata Florio its Chief Creative Officer. Florio, a top creative from Brazil with extensive experience in the Hispanic market, is charged with overseeing creative direction for clients, which include P&G, Goya Foods, Eli Lilly and the Ad Council.

Dan Bittman, Design Team One’s Founder and Chairman, has been honored with the AIGA Fellow Award. A retrospective exhibit of his work is now on display and will run through October 16. Bittman has led both the local AIGA chapter and the Art Directors Club of Cincinnati. His firm has specialized in branding, web and graphic design for over 30 years. Former Planet Propaganda President Rob Sax launches Popamatic Studios, a marketing and creative agency in Madison WI. Popamatic’s primary focus is providing brands with compelling motion-based and digital brand content. Sax founded Popamatic Studios following a 14 year stint with Planet Propaganda. Before becoming President in 2002, he oversaw Planet’s brand strategy and account services group, and managed a wide range of national clients. Deskey promotes Amanda Matusak to vice president of Brand Strategy. A 12-year veteran of the Cincinnati OH-based firm, Matusak has been instrumental in the firm’s growth. As director of the firm’s innovative KidsView market insight program, Matusak was responsible for earning Deskey national notoriety as an authority in the consumer behavior of parents and their children. She has a BA in both sociology and anthropology from DePauw University. In her new role with Deskey, Matusak will serve as the firm’s chief counsel for brand strategy. Odgis + Company welcomes Ani Ardzivian to the design staff. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Ardzivian has worked for several high-profile firms including Elie Tahari Ltd. and for clients such as Procter & Gamble and Banana Republic. Her diverse skill-set includes everything from editorial layout to logo, packaging design and electronic media. Schawk, Inc. appoints Lor Gold to Global Chief Creative Officer. Gold has extensive brand management and strategic, creative, executional, and marketing expertise. Among his past positions was Chief Creative Officer at Draftfcb Chicago. There, he helped reshape the company from a traditional direct marketing agency to a creative agency guided by insights, analytics, technology and channel development for companies including Nokia, Burger King, CVS, Kellogg and Procter & Gamble. Under Gold’s leadership, Draftfcb was named “Creative Agency Hothouse” by P&G. Seth Duncan comes to Wichita KS-based Greteman Group as a digital specialist. He most recently worked for Bombardier Learjet. Duncan, who has a classical music background, finds commonality in that training and what he now does for a living. “Both exhibit a ruthless logic,” he says. “At the basic level of notation and coding, they are brutally direct. Yet when the rules are understood and applied correctly, you achieve something that works beautifully and harmoniously.” Duncan has provided website development for Friends University, Asbury Church, CarJinx and Shine Like Stars.