ABOUT
who we are
We are firm believers in using the power of design to challenge convention and ask, “What if?” We have never been constrained by mediums or design disciplines. From marketing, brand, and business strategies to the built environment, from product and communication design to graphics and digital – the common thread is our passion for design thinking, empathetic problem solving, and the experience to make it happen. For more than 30 years, we have taken a uniquely client-driven approach. marquardt+ leads every client on a journey of discovery to fully explore their aspirations and goals that will ultimately inform their design vision and the solutions that follow. We take great pride in our holistic approach to design which represents the antithesis of the commoditization of design happening in the industry today.
We don’t have a “comfort zone” when it comes to design aesthetics, which is what keeps our solutions fresh and outcomes more authentic. It is the client essence that drives the design journey. And it is our job to unearth design solutions that are as unique as the clients themselves and their brand truths. As we enter the fourth decade of practice, m+ is as energized today as the day we began, through the endless possibilities of design and the people we impact in this process.
team
Tom Marquardt, IIDA | SBID | AMA-EC
Tom Marquardt, President and Founder
Tom is the president and founder of marquardt+, an executive board member and past president of SBID (Society of British and International Design), a professional member of IIDA (International Interior Design Association) and an executive circle member of the AMA (American Marketing Association).
He is also the recipient of the IIDA Leadership Award of Excellence Honoree and the Branded Environments Interior Designer of the Year HIP (Honoring Industry People) Award from Interior Design Magazine. Tom has won several project design awards and has been featured in publications including Abitare, Interior Design Magazine, Interiors + Sources, Contract, Objekt International, Crain’s Chicago Business, Society Journal, and Architectural Digest. He continues to write articles and provide thought leadership thru panels, speaking engagements and on social media addressing a variety of design industry subjects.
“I have never been constrained by mediums or disciplines. From brand and marketing visioning and strategy to the built environment; from product and communication design to graphics – the common thread is my passion for problem solving and the experience to make it happen.”
Starting m+ with 10 team members in 3 studios in 1988 and working with almost 80 people over the last three decades, Tom has moved the practice into the next phase of m+ with new partners and approaches to strategy and design.
Billie Knipfer, Graphics & Communications Design Director
As our lead multidisciplinary designer and strategist, Billie brings over 20 years of experience working both in the US and Japan, developing brands, communications, and graphic solutions for companies of all sizes and types. She uses design as a tool for problem-solving business challenges and to create marketing solutions that have an authentic purpose and impact.
She has touched almost all types of commercial clients including banking and finance, construction, entertainment, fine art, food & beverage manufacturers, A&D flooring, materials and furniture manufacturers, insurance, mobile phone companies, non-profit, and retailers including food and clothing. Her client list includes Motorola, Gucci, Tarkett/Johnsonite, and the U.S. Mint among many others! Each client has unique challenges and objectives, so Billie adapts and creates design processes that are customized to their specific needs and budgets.
“I look for the essence, truths, and unique attributes in all of my clients to then define those elements into a visual narrative that resonates with their audience. When presenting back to clients, they see themselves.”
Jennifer Fondrevay, Merger & Acquisition, Business, Brand & Marketing Strategy
Jennifer is an internationally skilled and experienced former C-suite marketing executive with 25 years of experience working with start-ups, small businesses, and Fortune 100 companies including Kraft, Unilever, Nokia, and Coors.
She is a renowned M&A expert, author and speaker, and also in a previous life was an advertising executive creating award winning campaigns for Fortune 500 clients. Jennifer knows that the human factor in any transaction, strategy, planning or project, is paramount to the success of business growth and ROI. She wrote the book on the subject, Now What? A Survivor’s Guide for Thriving Through Mergers & Acquisitions and provides marquardt+ with the human centered strategies required for the depth of success we provide to our clients and our services.
“I serve as a proactive advisor to senior leadership, ensuring the people component of a company’s plan, such as culture, engagement, productivity, and retention remains a cornerstone of success during times of change rather than an inhibitor.”
Isaac Plumb, AIA, Design Lead and Project Director
Issac has practiced in Chicago as a registered architect for over a decade, starting with worldwide architectural firms including SOM, HOK and bKL, and now as an independent practice , Isaac Plumb Architect, LLC and consults regularly as an architect and design lead for marquardt+. His brings multiple scales of experience to our projects: from urban design and building core and shell to specialized commercial and residential interiors and project detailing. These experiences inform the approach needed for our specialized projects and the most minute detail, especially in the context of larger buildings and infrastructure. His dedication and experience to execute projects from creative concept to completion is key.
“As a critical problem solver I look to deliver creative and disciplined design solutions and lead with a repertoire of software proficiencies to do so, including bringing BIM to the table when needed.”
James Wild, AIA, Gridwerk Architecture, Architecture & Interiors
Jim’s approach has always been the perfect alignment for marquardt+ and our alliance partnerships over the years. Jim practices design with a mix of art and pragmatism, built on over 25 years of blended experience in architecture, interiors, construction, and project management. He has worked on projects of almost every size and scope from notable high rise, corporate headquarters to corporate interior build outs, to finite showroom custom display hardware details. The thread that ties them all together is his integrated approach to design and construction that transcends concepts into solutions.
“It’s important to approach each project with a sense of artistic pragmatism, as every challenge is an opportunity. It’s not just a building envelope, or interior build-out, it’s an opportunity to create something new that balances design, technology, construction strategies and budget realities.”
Mark Rupsis, ALA, Architect of Record - Design & Technical Advisor
Mark has worked in support of the marquardt+ team as an AOR, design, and technical advisor on a majority of our projects for over 25 years and has over 4 decades of practice experience.His involvement includes everything from design concept reviews to code, zoning, life safety, structural and MEP services and stamps. Mark continues to design and then execute complete architectural and interiors projects with us and thru his own practice, including work of all scales and in almost every architectural and design sector including corporate, commercial, multi-family, healthcare, retail, restaurant/food service, education, hospitality and residential. He also is a consummate conceptualizer and bridges his creative know how with his technical expertise and the experience that makes it happen.
“No matter what we conceptualize, or our teams throw at me, I make sure the big ideas can be developed down to the minute detail, and into the reality of the building envelope, budget, and every other functional consideration and municipal requirement.”
Kaitlyn Daniluk, Interior Design
marquardt+ found Kaitlyn. She was a senior in the interior architecture program at Columbia College in Chicago and we offered her a paid internship while she was finishing her degree. She was in Tom’s Branded Environments undergraduate studio course and stood out as an active, passionate designer, who knows how to look at a design challenge from all perspectives. Kaitlyn has since graduated and stayed on to support marquardt+ in all aspects of the design process from research and concept work to renderings and construction documents, bringing her unique perspective to the studio. It is Kaitlyn who keeps us honest, focused and open to the new ideas of the next generation of thought leadership and coordinates with all our consulting team members.
“There’s so much context to understand when discussing design. All design is created from a human, cultural, and historical perspective. Being able to see how reflective design is of people is what draws me to it.”
Jaysen Goransen, Stylist, Photographer, Materials Research
Jaysen found marquardt+. His background as a professional photographer, stylist, fashion design and couture expertise, materials and chef, has made him an indispensable consultant to our team and a number of our clients. He brings us the inspiration of world trends, the world of fashion design and the discriminating ability to stage and accessorize thru the filter of our clients brands and visual narratives. A true renaissance man and creative, he keeps us pushing our thinking and refining the marquardt+ visual language. When Jaysen describes his approach, he simply quotes Alexander McQueen:
“You’ve got to know the rules to break them. That’s what I’m here for, to demolish the rules but to keep the tradition.”
Reva Revis, Public Relations & Marketing Voice Consultant
Reva brings marquardt+ a specialists knowledge of the A&D industries segments we serve, and an out of the box insight to all the other areas of marketing and public relations. She continues to help craft the voice of marquardt+, and provides insights for our team and many of our clients. Reva focuses on authenticity and relevance, and builds integrated communications plans that help our clients rise above the hype and earn and sustain the trust of all stakeholders vital to their long term success.
“My experience runs the gamut of the architecture and interior design world as well as the odd project that takes me out of my professional niche and into personal passions including travel, technology and politics.”
Matthew Crofoot, Technology Strategist & Programmer
Matthew Crofoot got his first computer and learned to program at 8 years old and has been loving technology every day since. He started using the Internet before it was called that and at one time even had the email address, matt@internet.com. This passion led him to complete his Business degree from Boston University with majors in Information Systems and Marketing.
He has over 25 years’ experience as an entrepreneur and consultant partnering with small and medium sized businesses to build websites, databases and help solve their technology and business problems. Along the way Matthew served as CTO and co-founder of Opinion Lab and has worked with hundreds of companies including: DDB, McKinsey & Company, DEC, Aon Insurance, Nationwide Insurance, State Street Bank, Ziff Davis, NAI and Cushman Wakefield – where he built and maintained a comprehensive Intranet platform for real estate professionals. He has a gift for being the perfect bridge between the business and technology worlds and speaking both languages fluently and in a way that people can actually understand.
“Technology is the glue that ties the world together. It is powerful, mysterious and transformative. But just like any tool, it’s all about how you use it so it does not end up using you.”
Vince Gammino, Design and Project Management Director, In Memoriam - 2022
As our legacy lead design and detailing mentor, Vince Gammino was trained as an architect and designer here in Chicago. He clocked over 50 years of practice in almost every discipline of design. Vince brought unparalleled strategy, design, detailing, execution experience, and vision to our practice and mentored every one of us at one time or another.Vince set the tone for the majority of work you see on these pages as a senior lead at marquardt+ since the day we started. He approached everything he touched with a patience, pragmatism, and creative savvy few practitioners exhibit today. Though Vince is no longer with us, his talents and abilities will live on thru our work, the hundreds of talented designers he trained and mentored, and anyone he touched as one of the most kind, well-loved and highly respected members of the design industry.
“For me, design is driven by function and intent. Each project and detail is informed by the clients unique needs, so the solution is beautifully engineered and executed. Great design is the process to get there and in doing so makes the world a more poetic and joyful place.”
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
extended team
Frankie Albrecht, Andrew Antons, Troy Atwood, Elizabeth Becker, Casie Bott, Andrea Brown, William Brown, Amanda Butz, Michael Camarata, Ann Chin, Diego Crespas, Bruce Dunlap, Brian Erlinder, Lucia Millet Ferrater, Sarah Floyd, Kay Frederick, Jon Gacek, Gisele Gieger, Matt Groshek, Joseph Hamed, Lauren Haras, Michelle Heron, Steve Horwath, Kurt Hunt, Raquel Kazda-Beardsley, Don Kimpling, Katelyn Landeck, Jen Lea, Evelyn Legowiak, Andres Lemus-Spont, Nick Lesniak, Desmond Lum, Christopher Marcum, Greg Martin, Don Maynard, Gretchen Miller, Romana Mirza, Greg Montezon, John Murbach, Matt Nardella, Adrienne Palmiere, Devin Parker, Lindsay Phillips, Isaac Plumb, Katherine Putnam, Mary Beth Rampolla, Curtis Rangel, Elise Renwick, Randi Richardson, Nigel Rogan, Mark Rupsis, Kerry Rutz, David Terada, Carol Schumacher, Evan Sconce, Raj Shah, Lazlo Simovic, Diana Slickman, Jonathan Smith, Brandon Tone, Mandy Toothaker, Kathy Vieira, Michael Walsh, Hayley Weeks, Jim Wild, Janice Wood, Kelly Ziegenhagen
Designers assuming many roles, on and off the computer
HISTORY
how we got here
We formed m+ as an unprecedented interdisciplinary design practice bringing together diverse teams on a per project basis to provide targeted client driven solutions, and have done so for over three decades.
Here is our practice history as a brand and identity evolution:
In 1988...
Tom Marquardt established the practice as Marquardt Design Collaboratives, a unique sole proprietorship ironically with consulting teams and studios in Chicago, Milwaukee, and London.
The original identity functioned for all locations without the need to create the individual collateral. The original logo icon was inspired by the shape of a #11 X-acto blade. It represents the stylus applied to a surface as used in ideation drawing. The purple + green brand colors conveyed a corporate yet creative feel.
In 2000...
We incorporated the practice and consolidated into the Chicago office, rebranding as Design Collaboratives, Inc.
The logo icon blade was angled asymmetrically with dramatic strike line to express a more kinetic, dynamic energy and ascendency. The Monotype Modern serif typeface was selected for its reference to fashion and creativity, incorporating a new warm grey and green to provide a softer and more sophisticated feel.
In 2011...
As the term ‘collaborative design’ saturated the industry and lost its original meaning and equity, we completely rebranded the practice as marquardt+.
The logo icon was made larger, bolder, and more direct. The plus sign references our brand history yet eliminates the use of “Collaboratives”. We selected a more vibrant saturated green with neutral grey to express clarity, directness and transparency, which is critical to our design approach and a continuing hallmark of our practice.
In 2018...
We re-established marquardt+ as a more agile and refreshed consultancy, refining our broad spectrum approach and talent to service the ever-evolving new generation of clients and business practice models that work well outside the box, something our practice was built to do from the onset.
New brand colors were evolved to reflect a distinctively fresh, true, almost mint green and deeper warm grey. The colors were determined by paint color spectrometer scanning an actual Frango Mint and translating the formula to CYMK and RGB!
