Michele Amar

I was raised between two different cultures and speaking two different languages, which makes it intuitive for me to see from the outside in. My strength is in providing context and clarity for design and opening up avenues of thought that may have otherwise gone unseen.

My expertise spans design, communications and branding. I have over 15 years of experience in design strategy and organizational management through positions at the Watson Foundation, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and as an independent consultant. I studied at the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA '03). I’m a native New Yorker presently based in Portland, Oregon.

My approach to brands, research and strategy is to uncover where reason and emotion meet. Practically speaking, I use a wide range of tactics to discover motivation, usability, desirability and position. I listen and ask a lot of questions in the form of design thinking workshops, audience interviews, surveys, focus groups, studying, and observing how people interact and engage. I always provide a well-considered framework for my ideas that lead directly into how design is planned, produced, and distributed.