The Profit x Design conference took place on February 24 - 25 at the ECUAD campus and allowed business leaders and students to engage with and learn from top-level designers and branding professionals. David Coates and Rod Roodenburg were invited to run a workshop at the conference.

Using several case studies of Ion clients, David and Rod's presentation analogized the branding process as a "Chop, Process, Blend" method. This method demonstrated the development, research, and creation of a brand that speaks to both its stakeholders and the general public.

How do you define a "good" brand? Why is an effective brand a good investment? Even more importantly, how does one make a brand effective, and what kind of work is required to build an effective brand? David and Rod discussed these questions at their workshop—which, to their credit, was well received by a wide spectrum of both business owners and students.