Civilization was built on a collaborative foundation that harnesses our team’s collective intelligence and creativity. Our small decentralized team, the majority of whom identify as LGBTQ+, is spread across the Americas and Europe.
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Michael Ellsworth
Principal & Owner
Seattle + Portland -
Corey Gutch
Principal & Owner
Seattle + New York + Buenos Aires -
Raya Leary
Research & Project Strategy
Porto + London -
Shaun Kardinal
Web Development
Philadelphia -
Òscar Viñas
Design
Barcelona -
Molly Derse
Partnerships & Programs
Whidbey Island
Past Team Members: Elise Carlson (Account Management), Giancarlo Cateriano (Design), Mallory Close (Design), Jenny Crimp (Web Development), Matthew Dressman (Web Development), Maggie Fowler (Design), Sal Hill (Project Management), Tiffany Hsu (Design), Vivian Hua (Design), Jonathan Hudak (Web Development), Andrew J.S. (Design), Alison McKay (Web Development), Gabriel Stromberg (Creative Direction)
Collaborators: Barret Anspach (Web Development), Amy Auscherman (Exhibition), Ivars Bariss (Web Development), Erik Blood (Audio), Christen Carter (Exhibition), Isabella Medina Corey (Design), Pierre Crutchfield (Web Development), Michael Evans (Environmental Design), Judson Felder (Photography), fruitsuper (Exhibition), Lauren Gallow (Copywriting), Milton Glaser (Exhibition), Gustavs GĹ«tmanis (Web Development), Leslie Hale (Strategy), Jerome Harris (Exhibition), Justin Holt (Web Development), Mirko Ilic (Exhibition), Na Kim (Exhibition), Scott Lindberg (Exhibition), Dalton Maag (Typography), Alex Montalvo (Videography), Hugh Saffel (Copywriting), Bonnie Siegler (Exhibition), Michiko Swiggs (Web Development), Studio Frith (Branding), Topos Partnership (Research), Amanda Ringstad (Photography), Elizabeth Rudge (Photography), Viox Fine Arts (Environmental Installation), Visual Magnetics (Environmental Installation), Vocal Type (Typography), Dave West (Audio), Sean Wolcott (Exhibition), Melenie Yap (Social Media)
Creating experiences that inspire, educate, and connect with the creative community is at the core of our studio’s mission. We have demonstrated this commitment with more than a decade of public programming, including our Seattle-based Design Lecture Series, our interview series Beyond This Point, and our gallery Non‑Breaking Space. Since 2020 we have transitioned to a decentralized studio and adopted a more global approach to engagement including curating and designing traveling exhibitions, producing panels, and lecturing.
Over the last two decades we’ve been honored with multiple awards, including the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Award for Communication Design, two Webby Awards in the Best Activist and Education categories, and three Anthem Awards for Community Engagement, Global Awareness, and Human Rights. Our work is included in the permanent collection of the Milton Glaser Design Archives at the School of Visual Arts, New York, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.