Chen Design Associates is a place for collaboration, education and dynamic invention. Founded in 1991 by Joshua C. Chen, the design firm partners with a diverse range of clients, from start-up ventures to established corporations, local to global, the artistic to the analytic: Verve Coffee Roasters, SFMOMA, Chronicle Books, The North Face, Public Policy Institute of California, Timbuk2, Pottery Barn, Stanford University, Yoshi's Jazz Club, San Francisco Symphony, EMI Capitol Records.
Over the years, Josh and his team have received national and international recognition for their ambitious yet relevant design thinking. Nods from not only industry leaders like AIGA, Communication Arts, Graphis, Metropolis, Novum, and Type Directors Club, but also from the broader mass media including A&E Cable, San Francisco Chronicle, dwell and Organic Style confirms that good design isn't just for a select few — rather, it has the ability to speak and connect to everyone. Most recently, CDA was one of twelve firms hand-picked to be part of San Francisco Graphic Design, an attendance record-breaking exhibition at the SF Museum of Craft + Design, showcasing the rich and varied SF graphic design community.
CDA's passion for connecting meaningfully with humanity has fueled the writing and designing of two books, Peace: 100 Ideas (CDA Press) and Fingerprint: The Art of Using Handmade Elements in Graphic Design (HOW Books). A followup to Fingerprint is currently in the works, along with a couple of other surprises.