American Advertising Federation Night of High Performance Branding for the Modern Age
Thursday, November 10, 2011 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm
University of Miami’s Cosford Theater
1111 Memorial Drive
Coral Gables, FL.

Creating lasting connections between brands and stakeholders with Steven Ryan

The American Advertising Federation of Miami (AAF Miami) presents a discussion about one of the most integral aspects of a business, branding. VSA Partners, Partner, Steven Ryan will speak about what VSA refers to as High Performance Branding. Ryan will discuss how he and his partners at VSA believe branding can drive behavior. Hors d’oeuvres will be served and parking is open to guests after 5:00pm. AAF Miami members are free, non-members are $20.00 per person and AIGA and AAF-Ft. Lauderdale members $10.00 per person. All students with proper ID are welcomed and free of charge courtesy of the Advertising Federation of Greater Miami Scholarship Foundation.

Industry professionals, and students alike, will have a chance to network over hors d’oeuvres during the reception hour. Then, Steven Ryan will lead the presentation as he speaks to VSA’s history, the evolution of their organization, and the underlying principle that has guided VSA’s work for nearly 30 years—that design can drive business results. Ryan will pull from his 17-year experience working at VSA Partners to share real-world cases.

“At VSA, we talk about powerful brands as those that are dynamic, that people believe in, and that people want to be a part of. That kind of belief in something, that desire to be a part of something, is extremely meaningful,” says Steven Ryan, Partner at VSA Partners. “In today’s interconnected world, managing one’s brand to serve that sort of role within an organization means assuring that the messages an organization sends out into the world, as well as how it chooses to behave, have to be both authentic and consistent. Brands, today, are more than simply ‘marks’ that identify products or companies. They are icons that we, as consumers, embody with ideas like purpose, values, and character. These are much more powerful notions to tap into.”
At VSA Steven Ryan has led teams servicing accounts for clients such as IBM, Motorola, Sony, and Converse. VSA Partners is a brand firm headquartered in Chicago—with locations in New York and Minneapolis—helping clients build and manage high-performance, multi-dimensional brands.

AAF Miami (American Advertising Federation – Miami), formerly Advertising Federation of Greater Miami, founded in 1924 is a professional trade organization fostering higher advertising industry standards in the community. It is one of the oldest continuing professional organizations in both Miami and the United States. With over 200 members representing all areas of the advertising profession, AAF Miami provides ongoing education through monthly events and scholarships and supports the community through public service programs. To learn more about the organization visit www.adfedmiami.com.

About Steven P. Ryan, Principal, VSA Partners, Inc. Steven joined VSA Partners in 1995 since which time he has lent his design and leadership skills to nearly every facet of the organization. An accomplished creative director, he has led VSA design teams on projects for clients such as Coca-Cola, Compaq Computers, Converse, First Data, IBM, Interface, Mohawk Papers Mills, Motorola, Nortel Networks. With expertise in branding, stakeholder communications, retail strategy and design, and interactive applications Steven brings a broad understanding of branding to both business interactions as well as creating end-user value. During his nearly 15 years with VSA, his work has been recognized by numerous publications and trade organizations including The Arc Awards, Communication Arts, Critique, Graphis, How, Print, AR 100, and the Type Director’s Club.

Steven holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and was a participant in the 2005 AIGA/Harvard Business School Business Perspectives for Design Leaders. In addition to his leadership role at VSA, Steven was Vice President of the Chicago Chapter of AIGA from 2007 through 2008, and President from 2009 through 2010.