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Mark Busse
Mark Busse is a strategist, communication designer, engagement specialist, and facilitator with a strong belief in the power of design, ideas, creativity, and conversation as catalysts for positive change.
Prior to studying graphic arts and design, Busse studied business administration and fine arts during his undergraduate education. In 1997 Busse founded the strategy and design consultancy Industrial Brand where he focused on the AEC built environment sector, using his background in research, strategy, identity, and communication design, and creative process to help organizations realize brand and marketing potential.
As a CGD™ Certified Graphic Designer and Fellow of Graphic Designers of Canada, he has served the national design association in a variety of executive positions, including president of the British Columbia chapter. A graduate of TWU’s School of Business and UBC’s Visual Arts Program, and with nearly three decades of design and creative management experience, Busse’s career has put him on the frontier of applying design methods to social and strategic questions in business, community, and the arts. He is an outspoken design industry writer, speaker, activist, as well as an educator, mentor, and advisor for design programs at Capilano University, University of the Fraser Valley, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Vancouver Film School, Langara College and others.
Busse invests in the creative community by producing and hosting events such as CreativeMornings/Vancouver, Interesting Vancouver, and Likemind Vancouver, as well as a regular speaker at industry events and conferences. He is a writer for Design Edge Magazine and Canadian Architect Magazine, an advisory board member for Vancouver is Awesome, and a regular guest commentator on the live TV news talk show “Unfiltered” with Jill Krop.
Driven by a desire to extract learnings and process innovation from a variety of design practices, Busse is fascinated by new and emerging technologies and the revolutionary impact they have on humanity and the environments in which they live. As a burgeoning urbanist with a new perspective, Busse’s skills as a creativity and process facilitator, educator, and engagement strategist has allowed him to create communities and host conversations, workshops, and large events in a variety of forms, including hosting workshops and public engagement events for various non-profits.
From 2015 to 2020 was as a senior member of HCMA’s leadership team, played a kay role in developing their interdisciplinary design practice, and served as director of TILT Curiosity Labs, where the firm tilt/shift perspectives to explore, experiment, and seek new discoveries, approaches, and opportunities. Through various community and creative collaborations, including an artist in residency (AIR) program, TILT became a key engine driving the firm’s curiosity, creativity, and capacity to increase social impact in the communities they serve.
As a member of various non-profit boards and avid volunteer, Busse has supported professional organizations such as GDC, Siggraph, APDF, as well as supported non-profits such as Pivot Legal Society, Binners Project, Megaphone, Vancouver Food Bank, Vancouver Rotary Club, DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Beaumont Studios, Museum of Vancouver, Urbanarium, Kwi Awt Stelmexw, Story Money Impact, A Better Life Foundation, Brands for Better, and others. He launched the online children safety initiative Red Hood Project with co-founders Sandy Garossino and Raffi Cavoukian. He was also a citizen member of the Vancouver Engaged City Task Force, helping develop innovative best practices for civic engagement for the City of Vancouver. Busse is an avid cook and co-founded the popular food blog Foodists.ca. Busse lives in East Vancouver with his wife Andrea and snaggletoothed little dog Pepper.
You can learn more about Busse’s past and upcoming speaking engagements here, and to book him to speak by emailing him at [email protected]