Joe Marianek
Joe Marianek is a partner and creative director at Small Stuff, an NYC-based award-winning design consultancy focused on projects of cultural, civic, and social impact. With over two decades of experience working in creative leadership positions at some of the world’s most notable design-driven organizations, he brings multidisciplinary strategic creative direction to all collaborations. At Small Stuff, he leads projects for partners ranging from small non-profits to global institutions on initiatives that contribute to culture, create knowledge, and positively impact the public realm. Alongside his professional practice, he has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, The School of Visual Arts, and currently teaches thesis as an adjunct faculty at Parsons School of Design.
Joe studied graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design, where his career began as a summer intern for Milton Glaser. After graduating, he worked at Pentagram under Paula Scher. After a brief time at Landor, he later rejoined Pentagram to work with Michael Bierut as an Associate Partner. Prior to co-founding Small Stuff, Joe lead global design projects at Apple, working across the human interface, packaging, and marketing groups. He is a president emeritus of the American Institute of Graphic Arts New York Chapter, and volunteers as a mentor in the early career mentorship program.
Joe’s work has been widely recognized by industry organizations including the Art Director’s Club, the One Club, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Type Director’s Club, It’s Nice That, Design Observer, Print, Communication Arts, and Graphis. Small Stuff’s collaboration with MASS Design Group and the Equal Justice Initiative on the Memorial for Peace and Justice received the global design awards’ highest honors from the Society for Experiential Design.