Biography
Lionel has always been an entrepreneur. Two years after graduating from the Ontario College of Art, a year of which was spent as an art director at Zand Advertising, Lionel started his own shop, Insync Creative. In just a few years, Insync attracted a significant roster of clients to the point where it was acquired by an ad agency, enabling a one-year sabbatical in Italy to travel and paint. Lionel then went on to co-found Fireworks Creative and Context Creative.
Today, clients of Context Creative recognize Lionel’s passion for the impact that design thinking can make in building businesses and differentiating brands in a world that is rapidly commodifying.
Beyond creating innovative business models and profitable partner relationships, Lionel’s goal is to put graphic design and communications to work, helping clients act on new opportunities, creating memorable campaigns that achieve goals, while putting sustainable processes in place that typically increase competitive capabilities.
Lionel is responsible for Context Creative’s creative output and oversees the design team working for clients such as Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto Hydro, Hydro One Networks, Canada Post, Ontario Trails Council, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and ideaCity.
Under Lionel’s leadership, Context Creative has won over 50 awards from the Canadian Marketing Awards, ADCC Directions, RGD Design at Work, the CPRS ACE Awards and the GDC Graphex awards.
Lionel is a Registered Graphic Designer (RGD) and has served the association as its president since 2009. Recently he led the RGD initiative working with the Government of Ontario to develop and refine Ontario’s standards for accessibility in communications.
Lionel is also an avid marathoner, generally finishing in the top of his age group for marathons in Boston, Cleveland, Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton’s historic and often bone-chilling, Around the Bay race.
Industry Expertise (6)
Media - Print
Media - Online
Design
Graphic Design
Advertising/Marketing
Direct Marketing
Areas of Expertise (7)
Relationship Marketing
Brand Design
Creative Direction
Graphic Design Accreditation / Certification
Digital Entrepreneurship
Energy Conservation Marketing
Accessible Graphic Design
Education (1)
Ontario College of Art: AOCA, Communications and Design 1984
Affiliations (2)
- Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD)
- Icograda
Links (2)
Event Appearances (2)
No Spec!
Style Frames New York City
2013-02-08
Design Certification
AIGA Pivot Conference Phoenix, AZ
2011-10-14
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
Social