Talk

MA Design Research, Writing and Criticism presents a master class in design thinking with Leo Porto (BFA 2015 Advertising) and Felipe Rocha, creative directors of the award-winning strategy and design agency Porto Rocha. From large-scale projects to socially and culturally-motivated initiatives, these groundbreaking designers will discuss how they produce work that provokes meaningful change, recently recognized as 2023 Studio of the Year from the Latin American Design Awards.

Doors open at 6:00pm; talk begins at 6:30pm. All talks are followed by a reception in the MA Design Research, Writing and Criticism studio, where guests can meet featured speakers and prospective students can chat with current MA candidates, faculty and alumni.

Felipe Rocha is a Brazilian designer and creative director based in New York. With over 15 years of experience in various fields of design—including branding, experiential, editorial, digital and advertising—he has created culturally relevant work for globally recognized brands like Netflix, Apple and Nike, as well as for notable cultural institutions such as Sundance Film Festival and PAC NYC. Before founding Porto Rocha, Rocha led design for new brand initiatives and major artist collaborations at Spotify. His past experiences also include working as senior designer at Sagmeister & Walsh and completing a residency at Fabrica, Benetton’s creative laboratory in Italy where he worked on the iconic Colors Magazine.

Leo Porto is a Brazilian designer and creative director living in New York. Prior to starting Porto Rocha, Porto was design director at Collins. Throughout his career, Porto has worked at a range of renowned studios including Pentagram, Mother and Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Widely recognized by a number of major design awards and publications such as The One Club, Print Magazine and The Type Directors Club, Porto was also recently named a “Young Gun” by The Art Directors Club. With a focus on branding and design systems, his work maintains a global presence through his designs for some of the world’s largest brands including Target, Nike and Twitch.