Technology has liberated the 21st-century designer from conventional limitations of production and distribution. Advanced tools and potential audiences are at designers' fingertips. On the other hand, design's scope has moved beyond the crafting and distribution of artifacts; to be a designer now is to be obligated not only to create engaging objects, but also to map the context in which those objects are experienced.

This series looks at two models of graphic design practice: the studio, which generates authored creative output that seeks to create an experience with an audience, and the consultancy, which brings an authored process to a problem and employs design as a catalyst for innovation. The events in this series will feature moderated conversations between pairs of designers, each of whom embodies one of these approaches, with the goal of articulating the differences and overlaps in their practices through thematic explorations of interaction design, branding, social practice and education.

Presented in partnership with AIGA/NY