David Schwen

SENIOR DESIGN MANAGER
PEPSICO
PURCHASE NY

David Schwen has over 18 years of experience working at agencies big and small, in-house and independently. He grew up in rural Minnesota where he had some very influential people that helped guide him into a career in art. David graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design where he received his BFA with a major in Design and a minor in Illustration. He pursued a career in design working at creative agencies in Minneapolis. In 2012 he led the start-up of the multi-disciplinary design studio Dschwen, that primarily focused on partnering with Fortune 500 brands to create engaging and award-winning digital content for social media platforms for brands including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Facebook, Volkswagen, Starbucks and Air France. In 2020 he moved to Brooklyn, New York where he resides now, currently working as the Senior Design Manager at Pepsico, managing the Pepsi brand for North America.

 

Looking forward, are you optimistic about the role of graphic design in business and society?

The role of design will always be important as our culture and society continue to evolve. As designers, it’s important for us to think in a more holistic approach to how design communicates to the right audience, but also how it affects our planet and the people we interact with.

 

Have the challenges of the past two years changed the way you approach your work?

The last couple of years we have all gone through have definitely shaped a new way of working. We all had to adapt to find new processes in order to maintain the best creative, while at the same time trying to keep our work and life balance in check. I don’t think we’ve all found the perfect solution, but it’s exciting to be on the forefront of a new working landscape.