There's a surprising quality of earnestness in the people who work at Spring Design Partners. This stems from Founder & Executive Creative Director Ron Wong, a lauded design veteran who runs his business with a blazing drive and an unwavering democracy. Mr. Wong still loves his craft, and isn't too lofty to be in the trenches, handsketching typography (as he's done for 29 years), and inspiring his team by example.

To work with us is to embark on the road less traveled by truly effective strategic design. We're passionate but also remarkably collaborative: we never underestimate what we might absorb from our client partners at the outset of each new project—so we bring open minds and a spirit of learning.

Then, we draw from 15 years of astoundingly successful branding design strategy for global and specialty brands. Since every new project requires a fresh vision, we strive to uncover the surprising insights that will revolutionize the way you—and your market—thinks about your brand, now and in the future.

"At the end of the day, Spring's design talent is just superior. There's always...a large amount of great work to choose from...an embarrassment of riches. How they do it, I don't know. But they nail it every time."
–John Gomez, former CMO of Bacardi USA

Our Team: Ron Wong | Susan Federspiel | Meghan Labot

Ron Wong
Founder & Executive Creative Director

Over 30 years and a broad landscape of brands and lessons, Ron Wong's philosophy has remained fresh and unshaken: Find the truth and communicate it with simplicity and eloquence.

In an age of increasingly corporatized design, Ron sought a return to visual substance and significance. In the spring of 1995, he founded Spring Design Partners.

Over the years, the firm's achievements include:

• The global Visual Strategy for Molson Canadian
• The brand, identity, and portfolio design of Kashi
• The global redesign of Bacardi Superior

Spring Design Partners' tightly executed strategies have been recognized for excellence in Brand Identity and Package Design, with numerous design awards for graphics and structure, including Graphic Design USA, PRINT Magazine, Clear Choice, and American Design Awards. Ron's own lifelong accomplishments include the original design of Diet Coke, New Coke, and the subsequent rebirth of Classic Coke.

A remarkable visionary, Ron's talent for drawing, painting, and printmaking earned him a full scholarship to study Fine Arts at Carnegie-Mellon University. His passion for these disciplines is still powerfully evident. Ron began as a designer at Robert P. Gersin Associates, then became Creative Director at The Schechter Group and at Interbrand before founding Spring Design Partners.

"I came of age as a designer...before the birth of the Macintosh, when your tools were just your brain, your talent, and your pencil. One's ability to articulate what you created and tie it back to the brand became paramount," says Ron, adding that this dialogue forms the foundation for the systematic expression of his clients' business objectives through vastly superior design.

"It's highly intuitive as well as emotional to design a brand. If it doesn't touch or tug at you someway, then why bother?"

Susan Federspiel
Executive Vice President

Notably clear-sighted, Susan Federspiel leverages design as a strategic business tool for her clients. Drawing on 11 years of brand design success at Spring Design Partners, she helps clients define visual strategies that integrate their business objectives into powerful brand design.

Susan has applied her strategic vision across a broad range of CPG categories, including health & beauty, pharmaceutical, spirits, food & beverage and home improvement. She led the global redesign of the Dewars Whisky Portfolio, and has helped hundreds of brands prosper in an unprecedented marketplace by drawing on the unifying power of design. She combines experience-based strategic insight with management expertise to guide her client partners through the design process—without losing sight of their business objectives.

Prior to joining Spring Design Partners, Susan spent 10 years developing marketing programs for national publications, most notably for TIME Magazine, where she launched TIME Digital and found her love of marketing in the consumer marketplace.

"Much of Spring Design Partner's best creative work emanates from inspired simplicity. It doesn't need to be complicated, but it does need to be powerful, effective, and enduring," says Susan. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Susan prides herself on her Midwestern roots and her approach to building mutually-rewarding and lasting client partnerships.

Meghan Labot
VP Strategy

Meghan Labot joined Spring Design Partners in 2004. She sets an example through her relentlessly analytical approach to design.

With a background in traditional Art History and Visual Arts Administration, Meghan is uniquely equipped to maximize design from two perspectives: as compelling art, and effective business. As co-creator of Design Insight™, Meghan has guided brands like Maxwell House, Kraft Singles, and Molson Canadian into new design opportunities rooted in visual insights.

"While we seek to find new ways to motivate consumers by looking at their existing culture, we also have the great opportunity to influence culture through the work that we create," says Meghan, underlining the tremendous impact of an effective Visual Strategy.

Meghan holds a B.A. in Art History from Colby College and an M.A. in Visual Arts Administration from New York University.