McPherson Tapped To Present At Design Management Institute Fall Conference
Corey McPherson Nash Partner Outlines Design's Value in the Business Place
WATERTOWN, MASS.--SEPTEMBER 22, 2003 -- Michael McPherson, partner and creative director at Corey McPherson Nash (CMN/ http://www.cmndesign.com), an award-winning integrated design firm providing branding, advertising, print and interactive services, will make a presentation entitled, "The Value of Design in Today's Business World" at the 28th International Design Management Conference on Managing for Design's Role in Enterprise Leadership, sponsored by the Design Management Institute, October 19-23 in Chatham, Mass.
McPherson's presentation, scheduled for October 22 at 1:30 p.m., will focus on whether designers can truly quantify the value of design for clients, many of whom are aggressively seeking to assign a return on investment figure to their design investment in today's economy. McPherson will discuss whether it is possible to assess the role design plays in the success or failure of a product or piece of marketing communications and, if so, how. And if not, how does a designer continue to demonstrate the overall value of their services to a client. This will mark McPherson's second occasion of speaking before DMI audiences. His previous presentation, "How to Nickelodeon: Building the Brand Outside the Organization," addressed the issues of managing licensing partners to preserve brand consistency.
"For designers, there is nothing like a recession to stimulate thinking about the value of design," said McPherson. "If the relationship between good design and good business is not the simple relationship of investment and return, we need to redefine the terms of the discussion. Either the values of business and the values of design are 'two cultures' contingently overlapping, or their respective values are shared in ways we have yet to define. I'm very enthusiastic about discussing this topic with DMI's audience of designers from both corporate and consultant settings, and expect it to generate lively debate."
McPherson's work has received numerous national and international awards. He is a frequent contributor to design and marketing publications, has served as a juror for several distinguished design competitions and has also spoken at the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), University and College Designers Association and the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA). McPherson is on the Advisory Council of the DMI and the Advisory Board of the AIGA Boston and teaches part-time at the Rhode Island School of Design. He is the recipient of the 2001 Fellows Award from AIGA Boston.
About CMN
Now celebrating its 20th year of business, CMN provides thoughtful design solutions for branding, print and interactive communications for clients including Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols, Eastman Kodak, Clear Channel Communications and Cubist Pharmaceuticals, among others. With capabilities in print and interactive media, CMN analyzes and enhances brand equity throughout all applications. For more information, contact Andrea Naddaff at 617-924-6050 or email anaddaff@cmndesign.com.