David McGaw
Leading Design Innovation

David McGaw | Personal Background

I am an Innovation Strategist, bringing powerful insights and effective creativity to solving the biggest problems facing companies and organizations as they drive towards success. I work with teams as an Associate at a management consulting firm that helps companies grow in their ability to provide value to their customers and shareholders. My professional training comes from the Institute of Design in Chicago, recently described in Business Week as “one of the best sources of creative talent for business today," and as “the emerging choice for innovation leaders.” Through research projects and input from current and upcoming leaders in design and business strategy, I have added to a solutions toolkit which I have used to serve hundreds of clients over the past ten years.

During the summer of 2006, I was an intern in the Global Innovation Center at the McDonald's Corporation, helping develop the next generation of powerful customer experiences in one of their key offerings. Prior to moving to Chicago for a Master of Design degree at the Institute of Design, I was Chief Brand Strategist for a branding and communication design consultancy in the Washington, D.C. area. Before that, I was Senior Creative in the media team of a large national nonprofit based in Orlando, Fla. Other experience includes work as a campus chaplain and in the management offices of a U.S. Dept. of Energy national laboratory. I have provided design and consulting services to clients ranging from the McDonald’s Corporation, the Smithsonian Institution and the Embassy of Switzerland, to performing arts groups such as the Washington National Cathedral Choral Society and the Suspicious Cheese Lords. I’ve had a front-row seat (and often a lead role) within many kinds of organizations, from large to small, as they have tried to respond to changing marketplaces. Working to develop a common vision, and then setting it forth in ways that inspire people to brilliance, is my aspiration in every engagement.

Venues have included the Washington, D.C. Metro area, Orlando, Boston, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Other interests range from typography, Renaissance and early music, architecture, the novels of Dorothy Sayers, and vintage travel souvenirs. I'm a sucker for a good alternate-future science fiction (and also the ripping yarns of Patrick O’Brian, whom I loved even before the movie, thank you very much). De temps en temps, on se bavarde en français (oder auf Deutsch), seulement pour s’amuser. A reasonably long and interesting amateur career in choral music is documented (mostly for my own enjoyment) here.

David McGaw | Photo by Jordan Fischer

 

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