A new one-year advanced degree program focused on the intellectual link between leadership and creativity will be offered at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), New York City, beginning in the fall of 2010.
The Masters of Professional Studies in Branding will examine the power of design thinking as a way to combine creative skills with problem-solving and decision-making processes.
The department will be chaired by Debbie Millman, partner and president at Sterling Brands, who conceived the program withSteven Heller, a design historian, New York Times columnist, and co-chair of the MFA Design Department at SVA.
"From Apple to Starbucks, from Rachael Ray to Tiger Woods, corporations and individuals alike are immersed in brands," says Millman.
"As a result, branding has become one of the most significant influences on both public consciousness and the contemporary visual environment.
Branding has more impact on our culture than any other creative medium."
The faculty will include: Pamela De Cesare, executive vice president of design management, Sterling Brands, and former director of global packaging resources, Kraft Foods; Dan Formosa, PhD, product design and design research consultant, and co-founder, Smart Design; Rob Giampietro, designer, writer, and former principal, Giampietro+Smith; Tom Guarriello, PhD, chief idea officer and principal, TrueTalk, Inc., psychologist and former clinician; and Joshua Liberson, founding principal, Helicopter.
Prospective students may contact the MPS in Branding Department by calling 212.329.4609