Design 50: Who Shapes Chicago 2019

Excerpt from Design 50: Who Shapes Chicago 2019

Since the Great Fire paved the way for a city center to adapt a new grid street layout to today, Chicago is constantly growing and changing shape. And powerful design has been a driving force in its success—whether by juxtaposing the old with the new, between towering skyscrapers, a collection of buildings designed by pioneers of modern architecture such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright, and the city’s signature, beautifully aging red brick that stretches across neighborhoods; or by the emergence of the city’s growing tech and innovation culture that has placed us among the hottest startup centers. Not to mention setting the bar high for progressive urban living by immersing locals and out-of-towners in a world of art and design, by celebrating conceptual fashion creations or by building world-renowned brands and fascinating one-of-a-kind interior spaces.

Design has come to include all aspects of our lives: from the clothes we wear, to the products we consume, to the spaces we inhabit, to the brands we love. We devour it yet we rarely stop to think about the people who make it happen. Those behind the scenes, who drive the creation of form, function and beauty.

We honor them with this year’s Design 50 list.

Dave Mason
Founding Partner, Multiple, Inc.

Dave Mason is passionate about design and how it permeates our daily lives. A founding partner of the graphic communication firm Multiple, Inc., Mason has spent his professional life creating brand experiences for a wide-ranging portfolio of clients. He’s as multifaceted as his client roster, incubating ventures like the Cusp Conference, a Chicago-based meeting that has celebrated the cross-pollination of ideas for more than a decade. With collaborators, Mason’s most ambitious project is PowerPlayer, described as a “sports feedback platform” a data-driven tool designed to measure youth athletes’ sports practice. “Too much emphasis is put on winning and losing at the game,” he says. Mason feels there’s value in providing metrics on the behavioral nuances of the practice process as an integral component of the game. PowerPlayer is steaming ahead with investors and early coach-leadership support across the United States, Canada and Europe.