Draft:Alex Center

Alex Center is an American designer, creative director, podcaster and founder of the Brooklyn based branding studio CENTER. He grew up in Oceanside, NY. Prior to opening his own studio, he spent over a decade working for The Coca-Cola Company. Much of his early career as Design Director was spent building the beverage brands vitaminwater, smartwater, and Powerade. In 2018 he founded CENTER, and has worked with brands such as United Sodas of America, Kin Euphorics, Simulate, Conbody, and New Balance.

Early Life and education
Center was born in 1984 in Oceanside, New York, where he grew up. He graduated from the University at Buffalo in 2006, where he received a BFA in Communication Design.

Career
Center started his career as an intern for the New York Knicks and New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. In 2006, he was hired to be the first full time graphic designer at the beverage company Glaceau Energy Brands, where he designed for the brands vitaminwater and smartwater.

In 2007, The Coca-Cola Company purchased Glaceau Energy Brands for 4.1 Billion dollars in the biggest beverage acquisition of all time. After this acquisition, Center was the Design Director at The Coca-Cola Company from 2007 to 2017. Center was named one of the 200 Best Packaging Designers in 2011 by Luerzers Archive. In 2013, he started participating in speaking engagements, covering topics on design, branding, and his career. He has presented with The Dieline, Brand New, American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), HOW Design Live, RGD DesignThinkers, The Advertising & Design Club of Canada (ADCC), and more. He appeared as a guest on Debbie Millman's podcast, Design Matters in 2013. In 2014, Center was named a Person To Watch by GDUSA Magazine. In 2015, he became a columnist for HOW Magazine, writing about the expanding landscape of In-House design. Center was chosen to be a 2024 program partner for HOW Design Live, where he has also been a keynote speaker.

Center left The Coca-Cola Company in 2017 to open his own branding and design studio CENTER. The team has built and partnered with new to world brands such as Kin Euphorics, Conbody, Liquid Death, Magic Spoon, Simulate, and United Sodas of America, as well as legacy brands such as Apple Inc., New Balance, and Coinbase.

Front & Center, a podcast co-hosted by Center and CENTER team member Kevin Batory, was launched in 2021. The show has featured guests such as educator, designer, and writer Debbie Millman, visual artist and graphic designer Cey Adams, and owner and designer at Peters Design Company Allan Peters.

Reception and awards
Since its opening, the CENTER team, led by Alex Center, has had their work featured in publications such as Fast Company, It's Nice That, and The Dieline. In 2022, CENTER was named one of ten studios and agencies to watch by The Dieline.