About – Content Context

Michael Brenner is a designer, facilitator and is currently Head of Creative at Data4Change.

Dear past, thanks for all the lessons, dear future I'm ready now.

Data4change is a not-for-profit that helps Civil Society Organisations create powerful data-driven advocacy projects by connecting them with global and local experts in data, design, tech and journalism to forge real change.

Prior to joining Data4Change he worked as Design Director at Beyond Words Studio. Prior to this Michael founded and operated Content Context from 2009-2015 a socially engaged multidisciplinary design studio in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Its core focus was on projects with a social impact and change for clients in the cultural, educational and governmental sectors.

From 2010-2015 he taught at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. Where he had been involved on several levels in both the graphic design and lifestyle departments. As one of the primary initiators of the international track, he helped develop the course’s vision and content that is required for all first-year international graphic design students. He was also involved in the content development and implementation of the 2013-15 re-design of the WDKA education structure within the graphic design department. In 2015 he joined the lifestyle department where he helped re-designed and implemented new content and strategy for the fourth quarter curriculum.

Prior to moving to Rotterdam in 2009 he worked at MGMT. Design in Brooklyn, New York from 2007-2009. While there he had the opportunity to work with Al Gore on his book Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis the follow up title to An Inconvenient Truth. Before this, from 2005-2007 he worked at Tsang Seymour Design where projects included work for New York Cities biggest cultural institutions from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Guggenheim, MOMA, New Museum, and Neue Gallerie in addition to some of New York's most renowned art galleries in Chelsea. Also while in New York he was one of the initial content curators fo AIGA's design blog DesignNY which has now become Design Envy. Michael started his design career at Winterhouse Studio in Falls Village, Connecticut under the direction of William Drenttel and Jessica Helfand, 2004 – 2005.

Design is about people working together to connect the dots.

Michael's approach and practice to design focuses on creating tools and experiences to amplify voices, messages and ideas. It is holistic and research-driven with the intent to clarify and engage with an audience to create perspective.

Each job has its own content and context.

Research first and then explore with questions to gain further insight.

It's important to search for the improbable, then design.

Not everyone is a rocket scientist, try to keep it simple.

Mistakes are inevitable, learn from them and use them as a departure point.

Inspired by constraints.

From some of his past and current work collaborations, he's had the pleasure and great opportunity to create work with some pretty incredible people.

Al Gore
Amnesty International
Architecture for Humanity
BBC
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bruegel: Foundation for the improvement of economic policy
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
Errol Morris
European Youth Forum
Facebook
Google
Guggenheim Museum New York
ICP (International Center of Photography)
Institute for Network Cultures
Knoll
League of Young Voters
MOMA
New Museum of Contemporary Art
New York Studio School
New York Times
Omidyar Network
PWC
Parsons the New School for Design
Quartz
Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles
Rizzoli, New York
TENT. Rotterdam
Times Square Alliance
United Nations
VISA
Volume, Archis Publishers
World Bank
Yale School of Architecture

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Contact

info@contentcontext.org
+44 (0)7 445 688 400

London, United Kingdom