San Francisco-based branding and design agency Character has opened a New York Office, and hired Manuel Dilone and Virgilio Santos to lead operations. Dilone and Santos are partners and Executive Creative Directors, and will oversee all activities out of the new location in Brooklyn. Santos and Dilone previously worked together as Creative Directors at renowned digital agency R/GA, where they helped the agency develop some of its initial digital products and platforms including Google Wallet, Nike Running, and Nike+. “We’d been following Manuel and Virgilio’s work for a long time,” comments Character co-founder Ben Pham. “They both have an amazing track record of building a culture of fearless people who are not afraid to deliver bold work for clients.” The team also co-founded the independent design studio Collective Assembly, which practiced design for public benefit, supporting and propagating open-source hardware, software, and ideas for local communities. At Character, the pair are spearheading what they anticipate will be the next generation of creative spaces, going beyond the traditional agency office to a multidimensional workspace. “The Brooklyn space allows us to prototype living brands and invite clients closer into our process,” said Dilone. “We’re motivated to try new methods and experiment with how our clients experience their brands.”
