SPAETH HILL - Key Persons
Claire's experience in developing integrated brand experiences for the built environment spans over a decade. By merging EGD and wayfinding with the architectural process, Claire has thoughtfully designed spaces that build brand identity, communicate messages and invite connections. Previ ous to joining the Spaeth Hill team, Claire's experience in-house at a national architectural firm includes a portfolio of immersive environments, visitor and innovation centers, life science campuses and retail environments.
Claire's appreciation for EGD began at a young age while living abroad with her family. Submerging herself in foreign cultures naturally meant finding an appreciation for how the places and people around her worked together to tell stories about their environment. These observations shaped her approach, ensuring the design concept easily brings together human connection and its surroundings. Claire earned a Bachelor of Art in Graphic Design from the University of Kansas.
With 20 years of experience in wayfinding and EGD, Jill brings a business-centric perspective to the design process, allowing clients to benefit from her high level of compliance and documentation expertise. Jill began her career at an architectural firm, building the wayfinding and graphic design studio while working closely with the architecture and interior design teams to ensure branding was a part of every project. At Spaeth Hill, Jill employs fiscal responsibility and insight to help chart the business' growth.
Jill finished an executive education at Yale School of Management and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design from Rochester Institute of Technology. In 2014, Jill was the only woman of five nominees selected to sit on the national board of the largest professional association for design, AIGA. She oversaw programs and initiatives for the organization's 30,000 members with a specific focus on fundraising and scholarship development, including the launch of the DC chapter's scholarship program in 2007.
Job Titles:
- Account & Project Manager
With a career that began in the federal judiciary managing educational programs for judges, Katharine brings a rich tapestry of experience in project and client management. She honed her love of good processes and bright communication managing a portfolio of 23 international distributors and subsidiaries in the toy industry, including a multi-year global rebranding project. Curious by nature, she is a diligent and creative problem solver with a passion for branding and design. Her varied career can be explained by the fact that she is also very persuasive.
Katharine earned her Master's degree in Public and International Affairs from Virginia Tech and was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Award for her article arguing for a framework for sovereign debt default. She received a Bachelor's degree in Government and Psychology from her one true love: The College of William & Mary. Katharine has completed coursework in instructional design and survived PMP bootcamp. She is an enthusiastic resident of Alexandria, VA and in her spare time can be found leading a book club, as a tour guide in local museums and hopes to someday become Alexandria's Town Crier.
With a background in brand design, Mitsi's approach begins by distilling a project's complexities into a concept that informs the visual solution no matter the medium. In a physical context, her point of view references the simplicity and natural forms inspired by Japanese Zen Buddhist Philosophies, encouraging a thoughtful connection between space, function and people. Beyond these conceptual drivers, her love of typography is demonstrated through each project she oversees and is carefully curated across all brand touchpoints.
Mitsi began her studies in Psychology, but quickly realized her passion for graphic design. She earned a Graphic Design degree from George Washington's Corcoran School of Art and Design where she focused on typography and layout design. Previous to Spaeth Hill, Mitsi focused on brand strategy and interactive design for a variety of local and national organizations.
Nathan's brand expertise and design vision provides high-level direction for all of the studio's wayfinding and experiential graphic design projects. He leads and manages the team's strategy and creative process, ensuring a connection between people and place through the lens of brand. His commitment to a project starts in the initial concept phases and is carried through into the finest details of material selection and fabrication techniques. These are the brand touchpoints-the special moments that enrich a space or place and leave a lasting impression. Nathan uses the same vision and insight at Spaeth Hill to forecast the company's future strategy.
Nathan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design from GW Corcoran College of Art and Design where he is also an adjunct design instructor. He continues to explore visual art through collaborations with self-initiative projects, recently launching äntrepō, an award-winning publication concerned with new and evolving methods of design as driven by experimental thinking and practice. This project also includes a podcast interview series that features conversations with local, national and international thought leaders in the design field.
Ping brings a passion for typography and a rigorous design methodology to Spaeth Hill. Her design philosophy is based in her belief that the root cause of conflict is misunderstanding. Her commitment to effective communication is behind Ping's belief that design is more than making something beautiful. Design is distilling complex concepts into a visual medium that people can see, hear, feel, and understand. Through design, Ping aims to empower individuals and organizations to communicate their true identities in the built environment.
Ping graduated from Shillington College, where her work was awarded by the Australian Graphic Design Association, and she was named one of 25 exciting designers to watch by Creative Boom. Before Ping found her calling in design, she was exercising her left brain as a product manager. She graduated with a degree in economics and art history from Tufts university, experiences that give her an analytical edge in the creative field. In her spare time, Ping can be found reading design publications, cooking for her loved ones, and listening to techno music.