Matthias Brendler

Designer, US ex pat originally from NYC, based in São Paulo, bilingual in English & Portuguese with a Masters Degree in Graphic Design. My professional background connects education and business: working for Fortune 500 Brands as well as pioneering start-ups and in parallel, teaching extensively at the Parsons The New School for Design and The Pratt Institute. Since arriving in Brazil, I have been running my own independent Design studio and written about my experiences for international publications like Print magazine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating ROI with Design Thinking as a hands-on designer- maker is my DNA. My clients span the Automotive, Education, Fashion, Financial and Technology sectors. I work with leaders and teams at businesses and schools to connect the dots , leading projects from concept to completion. In project after project with diverse clients, I have confirmed something intuitive, in practice: playfulness makes better products, services and is good for business because it Increases engagement, adoption and retention. For GM, I created an internal parlour game for teams and executives to help them uncover new revenue streams and business opportunities. This co-creation was an integral piece of the larger global innovation project I led on the future of urban mobility in emerging world mega cities (SUM2030). Winning approval to develop a gamified the Annual Report for Brazil s largest telecom underscores the strategic importance of play and that may even qualify design as a superpower. As champion for Play and the freedom it gives us to innovate, I wrote and directed To See with New Eyes , an on-air TV short for the Discovery Channel. And because Design Thinking and innovation best practices involve Play something natural for children I created a new alternative learning space for K-12 called the MuseOn at the American School of Rio de Janeiro. The goal of the MuseOn is to empower students and teachers through design, training them in the artful science of Design Thinking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Currently, I am seeking a position with a visionary organization focused on increasing K12 ROI, that sees Design Thinking as a vital catalyst to achieve this objective. I believe Design Thinking is the most effective way we can improve education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .