Michael Donovan

Activist, Business adviser, Concerned citizen, Consultant, Designer, Entrepreneur, Foodie, Investor, Marketer, Parent

Mr. Donovan is founder of Donovan/Green, whose partners advise on brand strategy, identify opportunity and develop processes to achieve business objectives. D/G focuses its expertise on clients in media, real estate development, financial services, technology, consumer products, entertainment and design. Mr. Donovan leads the development in the next iteration of strategy-based design. D/G integrates business purpose and design thinking to create heightened experience for his client’s brands, products and services. Mr. Donovan has demonstrated creative and business acumen executing complex programs utilizing a broad, multi-discipline approach to value creation. Michael P. Donovan is founder, Chairman and CEO of Asphalt Media, a media company, providing mobile outdoor advertising. Asphalt Media a nationally distributed offering, underpinned with a web of new technologies that provide one of the first measured, quantified and qualified media options in the out-of-home category. Mr. Donovan is a partner in EQ Media a direct response television company. Mr. Donovan has served on the national boards of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Society of Environmental Graphic Design, and the National Design Center. He was an advisor to the board of the Aspen Design Conference, and is currently on the Board of Governors of Parsons School of Design, the Art Directors Club and the Municipal Arts Society. Through his creative career, Mr. Donovan has received recognition and numerous awards for branding solutions, information design and environmental design. He was recognized in Richard Saul Wurman’s 1000 Most Creative People in America. He is a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow and received the Christian Petersen Award for Creativity from Iowa State University, where he has served as an advisor to the Design College. He has taught Environmental Design at Parsons School of Design and Exhibition Design at Pratt Institute. Mr. Donovan has degrees from Iowa State University and Parsons School of Design

Intelligent design, New York City, food and wine, the sporting life.

Good design and good business have often been linked. Designers should be more entrepreneurial. Change behavior and spend as little time as possible on "work for hire" engagements. Rather, focus their energy on developing ideas and retain the intellectual property. Design is about invention. Why not reap the benefit of their creative energy?

Design, Design Design Strategy

I attended my first TED with my wife and partner Nancye Green at TED 2. One of us has participated in virtually every TED since. We wrote, designed and presented the Technology Section from the Understanding USA book. Nancye Green has presented several times at TED. Participating in TED helped us continually alter our life and business strategy. I noticed I have ten TED badges hanging with a dozens of conference badges. I wonder if there is an after-market for TED memorabilia.

I'm a accomplished cook. I love assembling local food. I cook for my family and friends most nights of the week.