About
DESIGNER
STRATEGIST
BUILDER
I'm Steve Leder, a Creative Director, Designer and Brand Strategist based in Cincinnati. For 25+ years, I've helped create, build and grow consumer brands through strategy, identity, packaging, apparel, retail and creative direction.
I've spent my career somewhere between strategy and making; figuring out what a brand should stand for, then helping turn that thinking into something people will see, experience and care about.
I've worked with global brands, emerging businesses and plenty in between. Sometimes that means building something from scratch. Sometimes it's helping an established brand figure out what's next. I like both.
My career has taken me from large brand consultancies including Interbrand and LAGA, to founding and leading Badge Design Studio, to working independently today with brands, agencies and creative teams.
If you're looking for more specifics on my past experiences go here.
So what’s up with the monkey?
As a young designer, I earned the nickname "design monkey" because I was constantly tinkering, exploring, and "monkeying" around.
Years later, I discovered the Buddhist concept of the monkey mind, a restless mind that's always jumping from one thought to the next.
That description fit me perfectly.
My mind doesn't stop running. Constantly connecting ideas, questioning, and exploring possibilities. Sometimes it's exhausting. But it is what makes me a better creative and strategist.
Experience
Over 25+ years of experience means I've had the pleasure of working with, laughing with, and creating kickass stuff with some of the most well known brands in the world. Presented in absolutely no order whatsoever...
