Keynote Presentation: Christian Helms

Along with our friends at AIGA Wisconsin, we are very excited to announce that creative powerhouse Christian Helms will be presenting this year’s keynote address. Keep your eyes peeled on the special events schedule for details regarding this evening presentation.Christian owns and operates Helms Workshop, a design and brand development studio in Austin, Texas. He’s also co-owner of Frank and Standard Grit Textiles.Beginning his career as an intern for Michael Beirut at Pentagram NY, Christian went on to blaze an unremarkable trail through Manhattan before serving as a founding member of John Bielenberg’s socially-conscious design collective, Project M. After a stretch at McGarrah Jesse, Christian co-founded the celebrated design collaborative The Decoder Ring Design Concern. His obsessive sketching and perpetual motion soon resulted in award-winning work for clients ranging from Spoon, Wilco and Modest Mouse to AT&T, Toyota and the Obama campaign.In Fall 2010, Christian founded Helms Workshop and began work on brand projects for Hasbro, Lone Star Beer, Lollapalooza and Happy Cog. The studio also partnered in launching self-initiated ventures like Frank restaurant, Standard Grit Textiles, and We&Co, a new social app with former Coca-Cola marketing head Marc Mathieu. Most recently, Workshop began working with Jack Daniels on their national Independence Day campaign for July, 2012.Christian lectures across the country, has served as a juror for the Communication Arts Design Annual and received awards from a host of esteemed entities including Communication Arts, Graphis, Step, ID, Print, and Metropolis — not to mention a gold record from the RIAA. He is currently featured in the May/June 2012 Communication Arts Illustration Guide.