Vignelli Center Lecture: Su Mathews Hale

About Su Mathews Hale

For more than two decades, Su Mathews Hale has thrived at the intersection of design and brand strategy. Using the power of design to develop inspiring creations while solving business problems, Su has collaborated with a broad range of notable clients including Citibank, Disney, Chick-fil-A, eBay, Hawaiian Airlines, Hershey’s, Hyatt, IHG, Papa Johns, Sam’s Club, Samsung, Shutterstock, Taco Bell and Walmart. Currently as CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Hale Design, a branding agency she opened in 2018, Su recently led her creative team on Papa John's refreshed brand identity – the visual reflection of the new tone set by the brand - a more modern, bold, fun, fresh and tasty experience. The friendly, streamlined logo reflects the pizza chain's momentum, introduces flexibility to scale digitally and positions Papa John's for continued success and growth.

Prior to Hale Design, she was an associate partner at Pentagram, New York, and a senior partner and creative director in design at Lippincott, where Su led global projects spanning the full gamut of brand creation and identity development. While at Lippincott, she served as creative director on the famed Walmart rebranding – a massive brand repositioning and revitalization engagement that contemporized the global retail giant while retaining the values of its heritage.

A frequent speaker and design judge, Su was featured as a “Symbol Master” by AIGA and was selected by Graphic Design USA as one of 2013's “People to Watch.” Her work has been published in numerous publications and award programs. She has served on the ArtCenter board of trustees as Chairwoman of the Board, and is a past President Emeritus of AIGA, one of six women to hold the position in the organization’s 100-year history. Not surprisingly, design is an enduring theme in her life and spills over to her living space where she keeps her son Chase’s stuffed animals artfully arranged by hue. A foodie and lover of fashion, Su combined the two to create a set of coffee mugs honoring her favorite shoe designers. A little moo with your Jimmy Choo? Thankfully her husband Brooks heartily embraces her endless design obsessions.