Curt Schreiber is the heart of VSA design. He currently guides VSA’s creative philosophy, and is responsible for establishing the office’s design standards and offerings. Throughout his 30-year tenure with the company, Curt has been essential in the agency’s transition from a boutique design firm to a brand-led customer experience agency.
Chief Creative Officer Curt Schreiber was recently a guest on the podcast “Prodity: Product by Design,” hosted by Kyle Evans.
On the show, Curt and Kyle discuss the power of constraints and negative space in design, the importance and power of reconceptualizing brand identity during periods of business transition, and how to create multistakeholder design in the modern world.
“Product by Design” features interviews with founders, leaders and experts about product management, artificial intelligence (AI), user experience design, technology, and how we can create the best product experiences for users and our businesses.
You can listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Transistor.
At the end of the 2024–25 season, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announced the addition of its Seattle franchise. While this expansion team is still unnamed, creative agency VSA Partners couldn’t wait to welcome the team to the league.
Meet the Seattle Mutiny—a potential new name and brand identity for the team, created by VSA Partners.
“This was a passion project for sure,” said Associate Creative Director of Design Heather Stickney, who brought the opportunity to her team at VSA Partners. “I’ve been a Seattle Kraken fan since I moved to the area a few years ago, and I was really excited to hear we were getting a professional women’s hockey team. It felt like a way I could give back to my community and further advance women’s sports.”
Heather was quickly joined by Janelle Blasdel, Creative Director of Writing, to tackle naming and branding the team, along with design support from Cody Fenske, Associate Creative Director of Design. The team treated the project as if it came from a client brief, exploring a broad range of names and territories.
“We knew we needed a clever, eye-catching design system that nods to Seattle’s iconic culture,” said Cody.
They finally settled on the one that felt right: Seattle Mutiny.
“There were a few favorites for us: Fog, Seismic, Emeralds,” Janelle said. “But Mutiny was our favorite. It’s fierce, exciting and a great seaworthy complement to ‘Kraken.’ Plus, fans could then call themselves the Mutineers, which really sealed the deal for us.”
The new identity uses the team’s existing cream and emerald green colors but progresses the brand with a new logo centered on the Space Needle and a vibrant orange accent.
“It’s a big moment for Seattle and for women’s sports,” said Chief Creative Officer Curt Schreiber. “Whatever the team decides, I’m really proud we raised our hands and put something out there.”
This project is part of an ongoing program by VSA Partners called “Design for Better”—an ambitious journey to redesign logos, websites, apps, packaging and more. Part creative sketchpad and part contribution to businesses, brands and society, these uncommissioned solutions are generated simply for the love of the game. You can see the collection to date at design4better.co.
This year, VSAers are embarking on an ambitious journey to redesign logos, websites, apps, packaging and more. It’s our contribution to businesses, brands and society by exploring potential solutions to the many types of expressions and experiences in the world we think have the potential of being better. We have not been commissioned for these solutions, but rather it’s our passion for great creativity that motivates us.
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In some instances, we’ll be considering what exists today. At other times, we’ll consider the opportunity for something yet to be solved, but we see it as critical for the future.
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Visit design4better.co to see the ever-evolving sketchpad for ambitious concepts that push design and organizations forward. From bold ideas to new interactions, we create with curiosity and purpose.
