EXECUTIVE CREATIVE CONSULTANT

WASHINGTON DC/ASHEVILLE NC

Vincent Wanga is a dynamic international design thought leader, creative keynote speaker, award-winning creative and executive, author of “The Art of Direction,” serial entrepreneur, and experienced brand consultant with an exceptional range of expertise over a distinguished two-decade career. Vince has strategically leveraged his rich cultural heritage, deep intellectual pedigree, and acute creative acumen across multiple industries—collaborating with a diverse constituency of clients and companies from the newly founded to Fortune 500.

His extensive experience includes projects for the City of DC, Google/NRG Energy, Marriott International, Gilead Sciences, GN Resound, SNCF America, Penn, Schoen & Berland, US Census Bureau, State Farm, University of Minnesota, World Bank Group, and a Michelin-starred restaurant group. As former vice president and head of creative for one of the fastest-growing technology startups in North America at the time, he oversaw corporate brand strategy and creative during unprecedented company growth from pre-Series A to an over $1 billion “unicorn” valuation.

With abundant aptitudes earned over the years, he looks at the world with a critical, creative eye while empathetically analyzing the eloquence and human consequence of our craft. Vince lives in Washington, DC, and Asheville, NC, with his dog, Okello. When he is not working on new business ventures, he passionately travels the world, collecting creative inspiration at the finest boutique hotels rewards points can buy.

What principles guide your design decisions?

Four specific things. Am I solving a problem (and not just a solution in search of a problem)? If the answer is no, you’re wasting precious time and resources. Trusting my experience, expertise, and intuition, and not letting that be distracted by trends, anecdotes, or groupthink. Honoring timeless design philosophies like Dieter Rams’ principles of design, that can stand the test of time and not fade away as soon as trends inevitably shift, as they say, nothing gets duller faster than the cutting-edge. Finally, backing my design instincts and intuition with research and data to ensure I’m solving for the business case and user/customer, and not just our fundamental need to create cool shit.

How do you stay relevant in an industry that changes so quickly?

Adaptability and perspective. These are the most important traits that will help you navigate both seen and unforeseen change in our ever-evolving industry. We can’t predict the future, but we can plan for it while also learning from the past. Diversify your skills both upward and outward, so you can prepare for industry shifts that can suddenly contract into specialization or broaden into multi-disciplinary roles. Also, learn from the lessons of the past. As someone who has survived countless career paradigm shifts, I can assure you that each time there was speculation or hysteria over the proverbial “death” of something, and yet, many of us are very much still alive and well. Print isn’t dead, but it has evolved. The iPhone killed Flash, but not rich immersive interactive websites; the technology simply adapted, and so did we. Low-code/no-code (LCNC) platforms were supposed to kill off creatives and developers, and we’ve never been more essential. The dated design trends of the 80’s and 90’s are back in nostalgic favor, and so on. History teaches us that our profession and persistence are more resilient than we give credit.