About

Creating memorable visual identities in brand and interaction design.

Art Direction + Design

Carl Bender is a designer and Senior Art Director working for Esri, a mapping and data technology company pioneering GIS. With over 20 years of experience, his work has appeared in numerous professional publications and has been recognized for awesomeness by leading design standards including AIGA, Communication Arts, Fast Company, and Print Magazine.

When not working with designers to bring big ideas to life, Carl obsesses over personal design projects, makes whiskey, and enjoys the outdoors with his special lady friend and two dogs.

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Capabilities

01. Branding

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Evolution
  • Naming
  • Visual Identity
  • Brand Guidelines
  • Design Tools

02. UX/UI

  • User Experience
  • User Interaction
  • Design System Development
  • Web Design
  • Product Design

03. Illustration

  • Editorial Illustration
  • Spot Illustration
  • Iconography
  • Icon System Development

04. Print

  • Packaging
  • Signage + Wayfinding
  • Book + Editorial Design
  • Advertising

Credentials

01. Clients

  • A3 Ventures
  • Adobe
  • AFAR Magazine
  • AIGA
  • Apple
  • Dwell Magazine
  • Esri
  • The Gates Foundation
  • General Electric
  • MTV
  • The North Face
  • Time Warner
  • Toyota

02. Agencies

  • AKQA
  • Attik
  • Meta Design
  • I Shot Him
  • Kasman Design
  • LightSky
  • Tomorrow Partners
  • Tuft + Co.
  • Word, Pictures, Ideas

03. Publications

  • CMYK Magazine
  • Communication Arts Magazine
  • Design & Design
  • The Die Line
  • Fast Company
  • Gallery Magazine
  • HOW Magazine
  • The New York Times
  • Print Magazine
  • Site Inspire

04. Awards

  • Adobe Achievement Award
  • AIGA Cause & Affect Award
  • National Magazine Award
  • Neenah Unshow Award
  • Spark Award
  • W3 Award
  • Webby Award

What I’ve learned so far

Get feedback often, learn, and improve. The universe rewards the curious and open-minded.

Discomfort is the price of progress. Being scared usually means you're about to grow.

Be tough on standards and easy on people. Meet issues directly and early on.

Great work requires deliberate moments of silence, stillness, and solitude.

Working diligently without concern for rewards is the exact behavior that brings rewards.