Event Information

Still Hopey, Changey

Personal Values, Professional Honesty, and How Design Can Still Save Us All

Great design can influence us in powerful, yet often imperceptible, ways. It helps shape our understanding of the world, triggers our emotions, and drives our decisions.

And when great design is used as a force for good, it can help us make sense of the chaos and complexity that surrounds us. It can connect us to the people around us and the world beyond. In the right hands, it can help us bridge our divisions and lead to true healing and understanding.

Ashleigh Axios has long been an advocate for design’s ability to break barriers and create positive social change. In her career as an international speaker, strategic creative, and national board member and Executive Committee Chair for the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), she has seen first-hand the transformative power of thoughtful design.

As creative director and digital strategist for the Obama White House, Axios’s tenure spanned two presidential terms in the Office of Digital Strategy. She also led the in-house creative agency at Automattic, a technology company devoted to the democratization of publishing and commerce. And in her role as president emeritus of AIGA Washington DC, she formed DotGovDesign, an initiative that connects and empowers designers at every level of government.

In Still Hopey, Changey, Axios will take a behind-the-scenes look at a presidency full of complete sentences, responsible tweets, and—you know—values.

She’ll bring back all the feels as she shares how the White House led by design during the Obama administration; she’ll also share her insights on ethics in technology, the shifting roles of designers, and strategies for dealing with ambiguity.

In a world that needs good design and better values more than ever, Ashleigh Axios is here to show us there’s still hope.

Find more of Ashleigh’s insights, perspectives, and work at ashleighaxios.com.

Gateway Film Center
1550 N High St.
Columbus, OH 43201