Event Information

Why set limits? Derek Friday, who trained and worked as an architect, decided not to. He liked his work, but wanted to try his hand at other visual disciplines, such as graphic design, typography, and photography.

Eventually, he landed at Communication Arts, a firm in Colorado that embraced multiple skill sets and ways of thinking. The firm was founded by Henry Beer and Richard Foy, who met while working for two people who did not set limits, Charles and Ray Eames, creators of the Herman Miller Chair. It was a perfect fit for Friday. He told CSCA that being surrounded by people from so many disciplines made him feel like “a kid in a candy shop.”

Today, Friday designs for clients in Germany, Poland, Egypt, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates. Finndustry, the company he founded in 2007, creates modern, yet appropriate, brand solutions.

A Cincinnati native and a Miami University alum, Friday has earned several awards. The top prize to date is France’s MIPIM award for his creative work on Marmara Park shopping center near Istanbul, Turkey. Friday and his team concepted an avant-garde outer space design that evokes 1920s science fiction, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and other retro references. To promote the mall, they created a graphic novel and a short motion video.

Please join us to learn about his path and his passions.

Thursday, September 17, 2015
6:30–7:30 Social Hour
7:30–9:00 Presentation
Student CSCA members - free
Non-member students - $5
CSCA members - $5
Non-members - $15
Gateway Film Center, North High Street, Columbus, OH, United States