Saundra Marcel is a graphic designer and design critic who lives and works in New York City. The creative insights she shares with de-muse are inspired by her professional experience and personal observations about culture and design in the modern world. Saundra’s goal is to share stories that are interesting, accessible, and inspirational to any kind of creative individual.

In addition to receiving numerous design awards, Saundra has also served on the AIGA board for many years, helped lead a successful mentoring program that pairs college students with professionals, and taught at the University of Dayton, examining aesthetic, ethical, and pragmatic issues related to design. Her obsessions with books and podcasts border on the unnatural and she’s excited to add her voice to the creative dialogue. Saundra is currently pursuing an MFA in Design Criticism at The School of Visual Arts.

She’s worked with many clients and brands including American Express, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton, The Dayton Development Coalition, Disney (Consumer Products and Licensed Goods), Excellence in Motivation (EIM), General Motors Company (GM), Huffy Bicycle Corporation, Luxottica Group (LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sunglasses Hut), MeadWestvaco, NewPage Corporation, NCR Corporation, the U.S. Air Force, and VTech Electronics.

Saundra is proud to have received advertising and graphic design awards on both local and international levels. Two of the advertising industry’s most prestigious trade publications, PRINT and HOW magazines, have featured her work. The book The Best of Business Card Design 9 featured two of Saundra’s identity projects. The American Advertising Federation recognized her work as “best of show” three times, once in 2006, in 2008, and again in 2009 for various campaigns. She’s also received recognition for the work she’s done for the AIGA Mentoring program while serving as Director from 2003 through 2008.