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John Ferguson
Design Director @ Work & Co.
John Ferguson is a Design Director at Work & Co, based in Atlanta, Georgia. He joined Work & Co in the summer of 2020 and has since been leading and collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams at the intersection of brand and product design.13
Background and Experience
John has an extensive background in art direction and graphic design. Prior to joining Work & Co, he worked at several prominent agencies, including SapientNitro, Ogilvy, Razorfish, Huge, and Goods & Services.1 His experience spans across various aspects of design, from digital products to branding.
Notable Projects and Initiatives
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Black Bauhaus Mvmt: John is the founder of this passion project, which he started in 2017. It serves as a platform to promote diversity, education, and mentorship for underrepresented communities in the design industry.1
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Bold Honey: He is the creative director of this production/creative company, founded by his daughter Priah Ferguson. The company aims to amplify the voices and narratives of young women and girls of color through storytelling.1
Professional Strengths
John describes his main strengths as a creative person to be vulnerability, curiosity, and instincts. He also mentions "confident humility" as an approach he's been embracing, focusing on learning what he doesn't know.1
Personal Life
John grew up in the Venetian Hills neighborhood on the southwest side of Atlanta and continues to live in the city. He is married and has two teenage daughters.1
John Ferguson is known for his exceptional leadership skills in directing creative and bold teams. He is also recognized as an incredible listener2, which likely contributes to his effectiveness as a Design Director at Work & Co.
Highlights
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to participate and present at the State of Black Design conference at Tennessee State University. It was great connecting with familiar faces and building community along the way.
The event was packed with invaluable gems. There are too many to name here, but some highlights include the Activism Unbound Collage Workshop with Marryam Moma and Jennifer White-Johnson. LeXander Bryant's photography work and his WHY. Brandi Greene (she/her/hers) and Aladrian Goods' 6 ft, 7 ft, 8 ft design cypher. Dori Tunstall's inspiring keynote on Decolonizing Design— I can't wait to read her book, Decolonizing Design. 🤯
Shout out to Omari Souza and the organizing team for their vision and execution, as well as Work & Co for their unwavering support.
Thanks for the photo, Dori Tunstall.
I had a great time mentoring, teaching, and learning about digital product design with some talented young folks at the DESIGNED BY PHILADELPHIA event last week. This youth design fest that showed over 100 students the possibilities of a career in design is a featured event of the Diversity in Design Collaborative (and Work & Co is proud to be a founding member and supporter).
There were a range of interactive exhibits, keynote speakers, and roundtable discussions, but I led a hands-on design workshop.
We learned the foundations. Everything from research, user journeys, concepts, UX/UI, and even snuck in some graphic design moments to help them visually craft their story from a branding perspective.
The brief: We imagined the Future of The Sneaker app. They concepted, sketched, and presented their ideas. AND WHOA!!! I was blown away. They imagined concepts around gamification, playlists, collabs, AR, and AI + more. 🤯
What impressed me the most was their vulnerability and fearlessness in concepting. They brought their imaginations without the deep knowledge and pedagogy of instituted design practices. Perhaps I should tap back into my 17-year-old self, I now understand what Virgil was saying.
And last, even though the idea of doing a workshop around Product Design for teenagers was scary, in reality, it wasn't. I felt like the design uncle excited to share my journey and drop gems, perhaps it's because I saw my younger self in them.
The big takeaway: I'm so excited about the next generation of diverse designers. Thank you to all the amazing folks at DID for putting this together and the solid support of my company, Work & Co., looking forward to next year!!! Learn more about DID and Designed By at diversityindesign.com.
