Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders Testimonials

Whether in its original incarnation at Harvard Business School or through the current program with the Yale School of Management, AIGA’s “Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders” course has consistently been a life-changing experience for design professionals. Just hear what some of our recent graduates had to say:

“The AIGA/Yale program is simply priceless. My colleagues were some of the friendliest and most intelligent people, the professors were phenomenal, and the topics were exactly what we needed to know—and, what we didn’t know we needed to know. This one week has completely transformed the way I understand business, and it will continue to benefit me for many years to come.” —Salem Al-Qassimi, Fikra Design Studio 

““Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders” is an excellent course. The high-quality tailored content is complemented by the considerable access to faculty—learning not only takes place during sessions, but also during breaks, meals, and free time with peers and faculty. This course is by no means a passive experience, rather it is wonderfully engaging and challenging. I have gained significant insight into myself as well as my organization.” —Anthony Bryant, MWH Global

““Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders” was a priceless learning and networking experience. It provided me with the tools and support I needed to improve my strategic skills and enhanced my ability to analyze processes and procedures to improve communications and efficiencies.” —Robin Colangelo, White & Case 

“I would highly recommend the AIGA/Yale “Business Perspectives” program to anyone in a management role who wants to increase their value to their clients or their employer through a more thorough understanding of the key business challenges we face every day in the creative industry.” —Jaron Rubenstein, Rubenstein Technology Group 

“AIGA’s executive education program at Yale was very insightful. I would recommend it to any business owner or in-house designer that is looking to understand the needs of their clients better.” —John O’Neill, Conduit Studios 

““Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders” at the Yale School of Management is by far the most relevant and useful continuing education program I’ve ever taken. The professors were hand selected and their material was tailored specifically for our class. The very next day after the weeklong session, I had the confidence and the know-how to implement new strategies in my business.” —Jill Spaeth, Citizen Creative 

“Attending “Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders” has been a game-changer for me. With the strong foundation for strategic business principles instilled in us by this program, I can bring more value to my clients as well as my firm. The strong friendships I forged here with fellow designers will last many years.” —Mandy Lamb Meredith, Widgets and Stone    

“To say life-changing would be too cliché; the AIGA professional development program at Yale’s School of Management has proved to be incomparably perspective-changing. As a designer and a leader, this once-in-a-lifetime experience has fundamentally increased my knowledge, insight and open-mindedness to the environment to which I both work within and serve—all from the most prestigious educators who are amazing storytellers with unparalleled content.” —Martin Ringlein, Nclud 

“This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from and be surrounded by some of the most brilliant, interesting and entertaining minds around, as the caliber of both the professors and students was stellar. Thank you for a phenomenal experience.” —Tammy Taylor, Wells Fargo 

“Excellent, immediately applicable presentations, given in a casual college environment.” —Marc Orton, Norfolk Southern Corporation 

“I believe the ROI for this program will benefit our firm and clients for years to come. Learning how to understand fundamentals of accounting, negotiations, operations and compliance may not sound creative—but through the lens of design the application and possibilities are exponential.” —Zack Shubkagel, Willoughby Design Group 

“This program exceeded even my highest expectations. I learned so much, so fast, and enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t offer enough superlatives to describe the professors—they were remarkably engaging in the classroom and made even the hardest subjects easier to grasp.” —Sherry Bastion, Lenovo 

“The real value [of “Business Perspectives”] is both in the connections you’ll make with colleagues, and the tens of thousands of dollars of ideas you’ll leave with—ready to implement and measure.” —Josh Silverman, Schwadesign, Inc. 

“If you’re a designer who wants to understand how business works—for both you and your clients—this one week will change your life.” —Michael Bierut, Pentagram Design 

“A mind-altering experience! I will never approach a new business presentation the same way again. You can’t effectively position your company to raise the perceived value of your design work if you do not know the real parameters by which you will be judged. This program provided me with tremendous insight into C-level thinking.” —Bennett Peji, Peji Design 

“The AIGA/Yale program was terrific. The instruction was top-notch. The topics were on target and directly applicable to our roles in the design world. And best of all my colleagues in the program were a phenomenal group of people.” —Julie Baher, Citrix Systems 

“If you’re considering attending the AIGA|Harvard Business School program, go for it! I loved every minute of it, and came away with a much deeper understanding of business concepts, strategic planning, competitive strategy and finance. It’s hard to know what the best part was—the faculty, the fascinating exchange of ideas, the other attendees, the staff—the whole experience was tremendously rewarding. It is a truly excellent program, and I learned much I could immediately use. I’d go every year if I could.” —Janet DeDonato, Methodologie 

“This program was just perfect. I believe I’ve made connections that will last a lifetime and useful skills I've already applied to my day-to-day professional life.” —John Militello, Google 

“I found the experience at Harvard one of the most fulfilling and meaningful experiences of my professional and academic career.” —Debbie Millman, Sterling Brands 

“The AIGA/Yale School of Management Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders program provided a unique and invaluable experience: the exposure to leading management concepts, research, and applications from Yale faculty, combined with the pragmatic experiences of practicing design leaders from across the country.” —Rob Hugel, Cengage Learning 

“This experience opened my eyes to untapped opportunities and solid ‘design thinking’ solutions to the challenges of bringing citizen-centered design into a large government bureaucracy-the IRS.” —John Jacobin, Internal Revenue Service 

“This week was more than worth the time and money. I came back energized, with new ideas about how to think about our business and our clients’ businesses. Bring an open mind and don’t worry if you feel like you don’t know what to expect. Do your best to finish all the readings in advance! You definitely do not want to miss out on the steadily excellent off-line conversations.” —James Bradley, Chase Design Group 

“This is a program that not only gives insight into the business of design but is also a huge inspiring boost to the creative process.” —Jake McCabe, Coty Prestige 

“I am just back from a new business meeting at which I felt so empowered and presented what we offer in such a different way that my partner turned and looked at me with amazement and said ‘You were unbelievable! Did you learn all that in one week at Harvard?’ It was life altering, empowering, frightening and so worth the investment!” —MaeLin Levine, visual asylum 

“Go! It’s five intense days that’ll improve the way you think and work for the rest of your career; you’ll feel smarter but leave wanting more. It’s mind-opening concepts AND everyday applications—plus great people to learn with and from. And it’s essential information that you didn’t know you needed—and now can’t do without.” —Laurie Churchman, University of Pennsylvania 

“Attending the AIGA|HBS Program literally changed my view of the relationship of design and business. The program is designed to challenge and deconstruct our assumptions about business and it provides hands-on strategies to shape new conversations about the value of design as seen through the eyes of C-level executives. I learned amazing things about myself and fellow designers. It was one of the best investments I have made in my career and the new friendships are beyond measure.” —Ann Willoughby, Willoughby Design Group 

“The course at Harvard Business School was remarkable. I can now see more clearly and directly the dynamics of the business environment. This understanding has also helped propel me into a more strategic and proactive process of business planning for my firm.” —David Gibson, Two Twelve Associates 

“A revealing experience! It has become much clearer to me how most of our clients think and function. For a whole week, I was trained the same way that they’re trained for life: think ‘profitability’... it was worth every minute and every penny!” —Marian Nunez, Aji Pinatao