We are experiencing a “new normal” as the global economy begins to recover. How should we be thinking about the role of design now and looking forward to 2020? Coca-Cola has a point of view that we are in the midst of a “redesigning of design.” David Butler talks about the role of designers in society, the opportunities for design thinking in a holistic systems approach, and why “the need for design has never been greater.”
David Butler is the vice president of global design at The Coca-Cola Company, leading the organization’s global vision and strategy for design and building its reputation as a design-driven company. Butler began his career as a graphic designer developing brand identity systems and print communications for a range of global brands, companies and NGOs including the International Olympic Committee, Delta Airlines, Cartoon Network and UPS. In the late 1990s, Butler joined Studio Archetype to design large-scale integrated branding systems, websites and interactive applications for UPS, Gucci, Bank of America and United Airlines. He went on to build and lead a global strategic planning function at Sapient, in New York. In 2004 Butler joined Coca-Cola to sharpen its focus on design as a competitive advantage. Butler is a frequent lecturer and active member of the board of directors at the Museum of Design, Atlanta. For more than a decade, he has also been an adjunct professor and member of the board of advisors at Portfolio Center. He holds a BA in mass communications from the University of South Florida.
