Graham Hanson, previously at Vignelli Associates, studied
at Iowa State University and the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute in Florence, Italy. Prior to founding Graham Hanson Design, he was with Vignelli Associates, where he designed the identity and an environmental design and wayfinding system for the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain; a signage system for Harbor Circus, a large-scale mixed-use retail complex in
Kobe, Japan; and projects for Philip Johnson at The Museum
of Modern Art and Trump International Hotel in New York.
Before Vignelli Associates, we was with de Harak & Poulin Associates in New York.

Graham Hanson’s work has been widely recognized by 
awards organizations as well as national and international design publications. His recent projects include large
scale rebranding efforts for the Kuwait National Museum and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH. He has long standing relationships with several well known corporate clients, including American Express, Dun & Bradstreet and Macklowe Properties, a well known New York real estate developer. Among many ongoing projects for cultural organizations, he is currently working with Carnegie Hall on a large scale environmental design initiative.

He is an Associate Professor and thesis advisor in the Graduate Design Communications program at Pratt Institute, and has lectured widely on a variety of design-related issues. He has served on the Executive Committee of the American Institute of Graphic Arts/NY as vice president and serves frequently on design related juries. He was the recipient of the 2002 Design Achievement award from Iowa State University and was named as one of 150 distinguished Visionaries on occasion of the university's 150th anniversary in 2007.

Pilar Freire - Managing Director

Pilar Freire has managed a variety of projects for a diverse group of clients, including the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, American Express, Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation, The Jewish Museum and Macklowe Properties. She has led project teams through the development and implementation of strategic communications initiatives and conceptual design solutions across various media.

Her work has been recognized by the Almanac of Architecture
and Design, Graphis, HOW and the Society for Environmental Graphic Design. She has served on the Material ConneXion jury on several occasions and is a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. She was recently awarded a teaching assistantship at the International Center of Photography.

Prior to pursuing her design career, she worked abroad as a management consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton. Pilar holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Master in Communications Design, with honors, from Pratt Institute. She is a founder of the Pratt Communications Committee, a graduate student organization dedicated to sharing design-related information from events and competitions to critical thinking and industry news. Originally from Panama, she speaks three languages and has traveled extensively.

Elizabeth Ward - Design Director

Elizabeth Ward has conceived and planned branding and identity design projects, interactive media projects,
exhibit design, environmental graphics, and print and publications design for a diverse group of clients. They include American Express, The American Institute of Architects (AIA), Carnegie Hall, Dun & Bradstreet and Iu + Bibliowicz.

Her work has been recognized by PRINT, Graphis and the Society for Environmental Graphic Design. She is a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

She has served as co-chair of the AIGA NY Mentoring Program, a partnership with the New York City Department of Education that pairs design professionals with high school students interested in pursuing design careers.

Elizabeth has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from
the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master’s degree in Communications Design, with honors, from Pratt Institute.