People

Steff Geissbuhler

Partner

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Steff Geissbuhler is among America’s most celebrated designers of integrated brand and corporate identity programs. His work for a broad spectrum of international and national clients includes identity systems for Merck, Time Warner Cable, NBC, Telemundo, Voice of America, Toledo Museum of Art, National Parks of New York Harbor, Crane & Co. and the May Department Stores Company. Prior to forming C&G Partners, he was a partner and principal at Chermayeff & Geismar Inc. for 30 years.

Steff has designed architectural graphics for the IBM building in New York City; a complete sign system for the Universities of Pennsylvania and Connecticut; and printed materials for the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Mobil, Philip Morris, Cummins Engines, and Morgan Stanley. Other commissions include graphics for the Smithsonian Institution’s Bicentennial exhibition, the “Sports Illustrated at the Olympics” exhibit, a new identity and graphics for the New York Public Library, the New Victory Theater, and a series of posters for New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. In 2005 Mr. Geissbuhler’s work was honored with the AIGA Medal, the highest honor of graphic design, for his sustained contribution to design excellence and the development of the profession. He is also the recipient of the U.S. Federal Achievement Design Award, in addition to several awards from the Art Director’s Clubs and the International Poster Biennales. Steff served as the U.S. president of the Alliance Graphique Internationale and has been a member of the board of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. He is past president of AIGA’s New York chapter.

Steff Geissbuhler received his diploma in graphic design from the School of Art and Design, Basel, Switzerland. He has taught at the Philadelphia College of Art, Cooper Union, and Yale University. He speaks frequently throughout the country and around the world.

Keith Helmetag

Partner

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As one of the founders of the firm, Keith offers creative and management direction to a talented team involved in sign, environmental graphics and exhibit commissions.

He is currently leading the sign and visitor experience planning for three of New York City’s largest projects: Yankee Stadium, Bank of America’s Headquarters at One Bryant Park (Manhattan’s first LEED-platinum skyscraper) as well as the World Trade Center Memorial Names Commemoration and site graphics. He is presently designing exhibits for the Federal Reserve Bank, Scenic Hudson’s West Point Foundry Preserve and Wisconsin’s Aldo Leopold Foundation, as well as themed interiors for Major League Baseball Headquarters and GE Tax & Energy Financial Services.

He recently completed an award-winning tour experience of the Good Housekeeping Institute, exhibits for the duPont Nemours Mansion & Gardens Visitor Center, Buffalo’s Erie Canal Waterfront District and a major sign program for Rensselear Polytechnic Institute’s new Experimental Media Performing Arts Center (EMPAC). His designs for NYC’s Flushing Freedom Mile, which brought themes of religious asylum and social tolerance to the sidewalks of the world’s most ethnically diverse neighborhood, are currently being expanded with new interpretive programming. Keith’s innovative approach for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Museum’s display system was recently awarded its own patent from the Office.

While a principal at Chermayeff & Geismar Inc., Keith designed exhibits for The Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Automobile & Culture at MoCA Los Angeles; Science City and kidpower! for the New York Hall of Science, the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration’s Rookery Bay Reserve, and the JFK Presidential Library, as well as signage and environmental design for Lincoln Center, Terminal 4 at Kennedy Airport, and Gannett/USA Today’s Headquarters. A Heritage Trails New York kiosk designed by Keith for the World Trade Center that survived 9/11 has recently been included in the Memorial’s collection for display.

Keith received a sappi Ideas That Matter grant promoting literacy and lemur conservation in Madagascar. He is a recipient of the American Institute of Architect’s Committee On The Environment (COTE) award for Philadelphia’s Heinz Tinicum Nature Reserve, and was the graphic designer of The New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Keith was educated as an architect (B.Arch.,UC/Berkeley), graphic designer (Philadelphia’s University of the Arts) and business manager (M.B.A., New York University’s Stern School of Management).

Emanuela Frigerio

Partner

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Emanuela Frigerio is a founding partner of the firm. She has developed identity and branding systems, print programs, packaging, environmental graphics and publications for cultural institutions, government agencies, and a wide range of corporate clients. Drawing from her international experience at the highest level of graphic design, her work focuses on visual communication that transcends regional and linguistic limitations. As a result, she has established an exceptional reputation in England, Italy, Japan, and the United States.

Emanuela Frigerio was born in Torino, Italy. She graduated from the Polytechnic of Design in Milan in 1983, and began her graphic design career at Conran Associates in London, later joining Franco Gaffuri Agenzia di Grafica in Milan. In 1987, Ms. Frigerio relocated to Tokyo, where, at the branding firm PAOS, her work was influenced by the meticulous artistry of Japanese design.

Emanuela joined Chermayeff & Geismar Inc. in 1990, and served as a principal at the firm at the time of its closing in 2005. She has directed a wide range of projects in numerous disciplines. She has designed graphic identities for the Rockefeller Foundation, the McNay Art Museum, the American Council of Learned Societies, Integrated Living Communities, Marriott Rewards and the Index Corporation. Additionally, she designed a new trademark for Tokyo’s popular Marubiru building and a comprehensive brand repositioning for the Hankyu Hotel Chain. Major packaging programs for Liz Claiborne cosmetics and IBM Multimedia have benefited from Emanuela’s creative direction, as well as exhibit graphics and wayfinding standard manuals for the Acquario di Genova, Oceanario de Lisboa and the New Orleans Aquarium. She has designed several exhibitions including the Museum of American Finance, New York University, the Library of Congress, Boston Public Library and the American Institute of Architects, along with sign systems for the McNay Museum of Art and the Bank of America’s world headquarters.

She has been responsible for publications and promotional materials for numerous corporations, including JCDecaux, Knoll, FactSet, US General Services Administration, the Rockefeller Foundation and Crane Papers. She is a strong advocate for the design profession, collaborating frequently with the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) in the design of exhibits, print materials, publications and posters.

Emanuela is a recognized publication designer, creating books for Abrams, the Museum of Modern Art and New York University, as well as a monograph of Chermayeff & Geismar Inc.’s work, designing:, published by Graphis in 2003.

She has received design awards from the Italian Art Directors Club, the American Art Directors Club, AIGA, SEGD, and the GSA Design Excellence Program, among others. Her work has been featured in the AIGA Graphic Design and Art Director’s Club Annuals, and in the design magazines Print, Step, Domus, Communication Arts, Graphis and How.

Jonathan Alger

Partner

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Jonathan Alger is a founding partner of C&G Partners, active in all forms of communication design, especially the conception and planning of exhibitions and environments. He is a dedicated advocate of strategic thinking, and served two years as national President (2006-2007) of SEGD, the Society for Environmental Graphic Design.

Jonathan’s work includes the Star-Spangled Banner experience at the National Museum of American History, (open Nov 2008). Jonathan led the design for the recently completed Museum of American Finance on Wall Street (open Jan 2008). He led the planning and design team responsible for all new visitor experiences at the dramatically expanded the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, the most popular observatory in America (open Nov 2006).

He has conceived and designed experiences for the Holocaust Museum, the Bronx Zoo, the New York Hall of Science, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Express, Nasdaq and Sports Illustrated, among others. His projects include a visitor center for USAID, a public history installation for TIAA/CREF, two award-winning exhibits for the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), a studio tour at the Voice of America, and educational environments for the Japanese American National Museum. He is currently working on projects for the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and the Holocaust Museum.

Jonathan is dedicated to expanding visitor experiences beyond the museum: he has done award-winning work for many libraries, including the Los Angeles Public Library, the Bobst Library of NYU, the Library of Congress and the Boston Public Library.

In other areas of communication design, he has created signage and wayfinding programs for many national organizations including Dulles International Airport, the Birmingham Museum of Art and the National Museum of American History. He has also created brand identities for a number of cultural institutions and exhibitions. His interactive design work includes a brand identity and website for the celebrated online journal FEED that was nominated for a Webby, the “online Oscar” of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

He has received numerous design awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Director’s Club and the Society for Environmental Graphic Design. His work has also been honored multiple times by the American Association for State and Local History. He has written for, and been featured in, various magazines and journals. In 2004, he was featured on the cover of Graphic Design USA’s “People to Watch” issue. In 2008, he was profiled in Interior Design magazine.

Jonathan graduated from Yale University, B.A. with honors and distinction in Architecture, magna cum laude.

T. Kevin Sayama

Associate Partner

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T. Kevin Sayama is a senior designer at C&G Partners, where he works on museum and exhibition projects. Trained as an architect, Kevin has been involved in the design of major exhibitions throughout the United States for nearly a decade. He is presently serving as senior designer and project manager for new exhibits the firm is planning at the Griffith Planetarium in Los Angeles and a series of interpretive stations for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Birmingham branch.

Before joining the firm in 2000, Kevin worked as an exhibition designer and project manager at Ralph Appelbaum Associates. He designed the What Price Freedom and Global Library temporary exhibitions at The New York Public Library and America’s Concentration Camps, a temporary exhibition at The Japanese American National Museum, which was later converted into a traveling show and featured at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. He also designed Fighting for Tomorrow, a temporary exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum that focused on Japanese American servicemen during World War II. Kevin managed the architectural integration and exhibition design for the Art and History and Steuben galleries at the new Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York. He also participated in the design of the Corning Museum’s new Glass Innovation Center and Steuben Gallery. He was a project manager and designer for the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City.

Additional work includes schematic planning and design of permanent exhibitions at FIRST Place in Manchester, New Hampshire, the Utah Museum of Natural History, the Museum of the City of New York, the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, and the Hall of Planet Earth and the Rose Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History.

Kevin was born in Los Angeles and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley in 1983. In 1988, he received a Master of Architecture from Berkeley. He has been a registered architect in California since 1990, and worked with a number of California architects on renovation, restoration and new construction projects before moving to New York City in 1994.

Amy Siegel

Associate Partner

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Amy Siegel has been working professionally as a designer of environmental and print graphics for over two decades. Since joining C&G in 1998, Amy has been responsible for the planning, design and management of large and small-scale signage and wayfinding programs for institutional, corporate and public clients. She has recently completed an award-winning sign program for the new Hearst Corporation Headquarters and a sign program for the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensaleer Polytechnic Institute. She is currently working on the world headquarters for Bank of America, the World Trade Tower Memorial Museum and Memorial Site and the new Yankee Stadium, all in New York City. She has completed several large transportation projects including new International Terminals at Logan Airport in Boston and JFK International Airport in New York.

Other recent projects include: the McNay Museum of Art in San Antonio, Texas, the Gannett /USA Today Corporate Headquarters in McLean VA, the Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, OH, The Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, CA, the Times Square Subway Station, New York, NY, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD, The Landman Library at Arcadia University, PA, the Jacob Javits Federal Building in New York City, a branding program for GSA buildings nationwide, The Flushing Freedom Mile, Flushing, NY, Baruch College, City University of New York, NY and The University Club, New York, NY.

Amy has a Bachelor’s Degree from Pratt Institute and is a member of the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers and the American Institute for Graphic Design.

Scott Plunkett

Associate Partner

Scott Plunkett is an Associate Partner at C&G Partners, where he is responsible for the firm’s operations, including oversight of finances, physical operations, human resources and project management. He is also an integral part of C&G’s business development endeavors.

Scott comes from a fine arts background, and a long tenure in the fashion industry at French design company Agnes B.  Scott has worked with the leaders of C&G Partners since 1993. He has proven effective at merging creativity and business, keeping the firm operationally sophisticated.  His focus on art, people and finance enable him to assist the firm in developing and managing new opportunities.

He received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2001, with a focus on painting and photography, and was the recipient of The Rhodes Family Award for Outstanding Students. He is a member of AIGA.

Maya Kopytman

Associate Partner

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Maya has more than two decades of design experience, and is internationally recognized for her pioneering work in the design of interfaces for a variety of interactive media, from Software to CD-ROM’s, location-based applications, and websites, for which she has received numerous awards, among them the prestigious “Gold Pencil” from the One Show Interactive and the Webby “People’s Voice” Award. Her work was also appeared in many industry publications, including Graphis Interactive and Communications Arts.

From 1994 until 2006 she was a principal member of IconNicholson in New York, and a Senior Vice President since 2004. In 2006 Maya joined C&G Partners as an associate partner, heading the firm’s interactive design practice.

She has led numerous projects, including the web sites for ARTstor (The Mellon Foundation), the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, NYU Wagner School of Public Service, FujiFilm and American Institute of Architects. Maya has been particularly involved in a variety of projects in Indian Country, working with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, as well as the Pechanga, San Manuel, and the Soboba Bands of Luceño Indians.

Maya holds a BFA from Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem and an MFA from Pratt Institute. She has been a visiting instructor in Pratt’s Department of Computer Graphics and Interactive Multimedia, and is currently a member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. She is frequently called on to jury interactive design competitions such as the One Show Interactive Awards and the Webby Awards.

Leslie Hayden Sherr

Brand Strategy and Business Development

Leslie Hayden Sherr fulfills a hybrid role at C&G Partners defining brand strategy, cultivating new business, and consulting on marketing and communications. She draws on a background as a marketing consultant and design writer to support cultural brands and institutions seeking to differentiate themselves and define a clear positioning in the marketplace. She joined C&G Partners in 2003 and has been the strategic lead for such clients as Signature Theatre Company, Calamos Investments, New York City Office of Emergency Management, Vornado Realty Trust and Darien Library.

Her past work has included strategy, naming, copywriting, brand voice and media relations for such clients as Chandelier; YARD; Stone Architecture; Material ConneXion; Hoefler & Frere-Jones; Sullivan & Company; Assouline; The 7th Art; FMBranding; and Fountainhead Construction, among others. Her architecture-related project work includes positioning, naming and copywriting for Beacon Court, a luxury mixed-use real estate property designed by Cesar Pelli with interiors by Jacques Grange. A Vornado Real Estate property, Beacon Court includes the New York headquarters for Bloomberg Financial Network and an exclusive 55-story residential tower. A comprehensive property launch resulted in the creation of a positioning, name, sales collateral and print advertising, streetbridge signage, website and video. Other recent Manhattan real estate projects include the sales collateral and websites for 200 Fifth Avenue, 34 Leonard, W Hoboken, Morton Square, The Hubert Townhouses, and 59E57.

Leslie is a former Director of Marketing and Communications at the Carbone Smolan, Agency whose client roster includes work for such significant cultural institutions as The Louvre, The Jewish Museum, The American Craft Museum, Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Sesame Workshop, among others. She was also Director of Communications for Desgrippes Gobé Group, an international branding agency whose clients include Coca-Cola, Gillette, Godiva, Ann Taylor and Air France.

Leslie has written on topics ranging from annual reports and graphic design to architecture for a broad range of design-focused publications. She is the co-author of Design for Response: Creative Direct Marketing that Works. Leslie has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SUNY Purchase, a Master of Arts from Parsons School of Design in Critical Writing on Architecture and Design, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Landscape Design from Columbia University.

Bruce Thorpe

Business Development

Bruce Thorpe is a senior member of the firm’s business development team. Previously a senior member of the legendary Siegel+Gale, and with past experience at Addison and interactive consultants Electronic Ink, Bruce’s focus at C&G Partners is to develop the firm’s relationships with clients of all kinds.

Pedro

Director of Canine Operations

Nusia

Director of Canine Operations