"I use the Google dashboard, which I think is an excellent tool. It allows me to see everything that needs to be done: my calendar, my emails, my to-do list--so it's all in one place. Usually I have my day planned pretty well, but there is always a big surprise that I never anticipate. So this method really allows for me to handle the unexpected, no matter what it is." -- Ann Willoughby
How do you prioritize your day?
Ann Willoughby is the president of and chief creative officer for Kansas City-based Willoughby Design (est. 1978), a strategic brand innovation and design firm that has developed brand identities and campaigns for national and international companies such as Kauffman Foundation, the United Nations, Hallmark, Lee Jeans, Hershey’s and Einstein Bros. Bagels. Willoughby Design offers design thinking and branding expertise for organizations on the forefront of educational, business and cultural innovation.
A nationally recognized figure in the design community, Ann has been a co-chairperson of the AIGA Business and Design Conference in New York; served on the National Board of Directors for AIGA, and was a founding board member of the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design. She also was Kansas City’s first national AIGA fellow. (AIGA is the professional organization for design.)
Ann also was recognized as one of the top 20 international identity designers in the book “Masters of Design: Logos and Identity – A collection of the most inspiring brand identity designers in the world,” published in 2008 by AIGA president Sean Adams. Most recently, she was named Joyce C. Hall professor of design by the Kansas City Art Institute; a position that has been held by many nationally recognized designers, including Ann’s mentor, Milton Glaser.