Greg Samata

Designer, independent film director, chef and one of the principals in the office of smbolic, a brand communication design firm with offices in the Chicago area, Vancouver, BC, and Atlanta. 

Greg formed Samata Associates in 1975 and subsequently co-founded SamataMason Inc. with partners Pat Samata and Dave Mason in 1995. Now the firm smbolic was formed in August 2010 where he is a design consultant to some of the most prominent national and international corporations. His eighteen member staff produces work for over thirty clients from Fortune 50, multinational corporations, to start-ups and non profit organizations. 

His work spans three decades in all creative media and disciplines from strategy and marketing, print, web, interactive, broadcast, and film making, touching every major industry and business segment. Greg has been published in every major design and industry publication and honored with hundreds of awards for his work in competitions in North America and worldwide. He has lectured throughout North America and internationally in Europe and South Africa, and has served as a juror for countless U.S. and international competitions. 

Greg is an untiring advocate and participant for design thinking relevancy, both independently and while serving as a past national board member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and educational board positions at Quest Academy and Summit Academy. He is a current board member of the Evan’s Life Foundation, a non-profit organization that aids children at risk and the Harran Foundation. 

Greg has launched numerous business ventures: co-founded OpinionLab, Inc., the leader in automated user feedback systems for the web, founded the film production company NoisemakerFilms where he creates, directs and produces documentaries and feature films, and co-founded the Cusp Conference, an annual gathering of business professionals that explores “the design of everything”. 

Greg lives in Barrington, IL with his wife Pat, son Parker, twin daughters Lane and Tate and of course pets Stella and Tess!. Greg thinks: “this life is worth living”.