DESIGN DIRECTOR, THE WORKING ASSEMBLY, NEW YORK NY
Regina Puno leads an NYC-based team of passionate collaborators and experts, focused on end-to-end brand building for a wide range of clients—from evolving Fortune 100 companies to trending and emerging brands. Apart from her day-to-day work, she is passionate about mentoring and advocating for young international designers as they jumpstart their careers.
Originally from the Philippines, Regina came to the US to study at Parsons School of Design. She began her career at a small design studio called Hinterland, where alongside her mentor, Scott Buschkuhl, first got to experience working in design from initial conceptualization to full execution on branding, print and digital projects for the American Museum of Natural History, The New York Times, and the School of Visual Arts, as well as smaller brands and start-ups. Regina then transitioned to work at the popular luggage startup, Away, where as an early member of their in-house design team, helped to define a visual brand identity built for scale and flexibility. She also held roles at JKR, where she worked with Planters, Burger King, and Hilton on integrated brand identities and full brand redesigns.
As we pivot into a post-pandemic era marked by societal challenge and change, are you optimistic about the future of Graphic Design to support and shape commerce, culture and causes? Why do you feel the way you do? Are you optimistic about the future of your own firm?
Absolutely. Graphic design in itself is visual communication, and to our benefit, good, thoughtful, design has become table stakes at any company, especially as a means to convey their values and principles. As we enter a post-pandemic era, I definitely feel that there is more of a social and cultural impact to our choices as designers—in what projects we choose to take on, who to work for and with whom—and I think we have more of a responsibility and platform to promote and give opportunity to underrepresented voices in our communities. This is why I am optimistic about The Working Assembly, an agency and business that carries these same values, prioritizes making space for a more diverse team and inclusive work culture, and ensures we partner more frequently with socially charged brands that have the power to shape the future.
We are seeing an increased focus on Package Design to advance the brand, tell the story, amplify the experience, forge an emotional connection. Do you agree with this observation and, if so, what advantages does packaging have over other graphic communications?
Package Design is and will always be one of the most important expressions of a brand — it’s more often than not the first thing a consumer sees, what generates a first impression, and when successfully done, what establishes a consumer following. These days, I’ve found that Package Design has evolved to not only become a reflection of the brand but of their consumers as well, with a lot paying closer attention, sometimes even considering the Package Design more than the product itself. With this shift, it’s been really inspiring to see how brands have been pushing not just their designs but the overall packaging experience as well to ensure consumers’ experience of the brand is memorable and distinctive.
