New York
Connie Birdsall
Senior Partner, Global Creative Director
Connie is the creative force behind so many of the most successful and iconic brands of our time — Delta, Samsung, Starbucks, the list goes on.
She has been the leading proponent of design as a direct and measurable driver of business value and the heart of Lippincott’s integrated design practice. Connie’s leadership and influence transcend Lippincott, as a member of the Design Management Institute, past member of the national board of the American Institute of Graphic Arts and treasurer of the organization's New York Chapter.
- How long have you been at Lippincott?
30 years!
- What is a little-known fact about Lippincott?
The original firm was started by Gordon Lippincott and John Dohner. Walter came later in the 50’s.
- What gets you out of bed in the morning?
The attraction of any kind of design endeavor is seeing your creations out there in the world. It is exciting, but can also be scary.
- Have you made any significant left turns, u-turns or corkscrews in life?
When I graduated from high school my dream was to continue studying to become a ballerina. But one in a million dancers get there, so I went from dreaming of being a ballerina to possibly being a set designer, to possibly a painter, to taking a summer class in typography at the Kansas City Art Institute. There is a definite theme in all of this, but I think my love of art and the hours of ballet helped instill a strong sense of discipline and belief that I could somehow make the things I loved merge into a career.
- What advice do you have for designers starting out in the field?
Be open to feedback, push yourself and work really hard. Malcolm Gladwell said it takes at least 10,000 hours to become great at something. Design is no different.
- What’s your happy place?
My farm in upstate New York.
- Being a Lippincott’er means:
Loving your work and bringing your best, always.
-
Education
M.F.A. Graphic Design, Cranbrook Academy of Art
B.F.A. Graphic Design, Kansas City Art InstituteAwards
AIGA 2016 Design Conference
Communication Arts
Graphis
GDUSAConnect
LinkedIn
Insights
-
Design Doing
Over the last 70 years of design here at Lippincott, we’ve learned that the doing is just as important as the thinking. In this piece, we lay out the precepts and principles of the craft itself — the meticulous exercise of converting strategies to beautiful, simple and meaningful work.
-
-
-
-
-
What we see when we see Google design
Google’s commitment to design is evident in every arm of the multinational organization and the communities it touches.