Architect. Designer. Creative Director. Professor. Academic Leader.
Based in Amherst, MA
National-level brand strategist, digital marketing leader, and educator, with a highly unique practice spanning enterprise marketing, public art, institutional design, and academic leadership.
Over 25 years, Thom Long has built an unusually integrated career at the intersection of brand, design, and institutional strategy, leading creative teams and marketing ecosystems from boutique consultancies to major national organizations, while simultaneously operating as a practicing public artist, academic dean, and tenured faculty member.
As founder of IdeaCo., he has directed close to 100 client engagements spanning higher education, arts, technology, nonprofit, financial services, hospitality, real estate, and consumer goods, delivering brand identity, digital marketing, UI/UX, performance content, experiential design, and integrated campaigns from strategy through execution. His public art and memorial work has been exhibited internationally, including a completed national memorial in Nantes, France, competition finalists for the Martin Luther King & Coretta Scott King Memorial in Boston and the 9/11 Memorial in Hoboken, New Jersey, and participated in works exhibited at the Venice Biennale and Buenos Aires Biennale. He brings a rare depth of understanding about how institutions communicate meaning, identity, and mission to public audiences. As Dean of the School of Arts & Media at Hampshire College and a member of its senior leadership team, he brings current, first-hand fluency in the decentralized, consensus-driven dynamics of academic administration and an understanding not just how to build brand strategy and tools, but how to build the trust and alignment that makes it work.
My Experience
Thom Long brings nearly three decades of integrated creative leadership to academic administration, with a unique combination of sustained scholarly practice, innovative cross-disciplinary strategy, and large-scale institutional vision that is well-suited to leading nationally recognized colleges of art and design.
001
Founder, Creative Director
IdeaCo. Brand + Ideation
Amherst, MA
+ Strategic Planning
+ Brand Experience Building
+ Change-making Creativity
Founded and lead a nationally-active brand strategy and digital marketing consultancy working on projects spanning 10+ sectors. Full-service capabilities: brand strategy and identity, digital marketing, web design and development, UI/UX, SEO, performance-oriented content, social media, environmental and experiential design, packaging, and integrated campaigns.
002
Dean of the School of Arts & Media, Senior Leadership Team
Hampshire College
Amherst, MA
+ Academic Strategic Planning
+ Curriculum Development & Assessment
+ Interdisciplinary Program Leadership
Member of seven-person senior leadership team; institutional decision-making spanning academic affairs, budget, and strategic planning, working across academic units, advancement, admissions, communications, facilities, and student affairs. Comprehensive oversight of School of Arts & Media: faculty and staff management, 7-building resource portfolio, and full program and staffing budgets.
003
Director of Design and Content, Designer
Wodiczko + Bonder
Cambridge, MA
+ Mémorial à l’Abolition de l’Esclavage,
Nantes, France
+ Martin Luther King & Coretta
Scott King Memorial, Boston
+ Newport Slave Trade Memorial
+ 9/11 Memorial Hoboken (finalist)
Through theory and connecting, this work engaged in architectural design, visual & experiential storytelling, public art, and community engagement. Two-decade creative collaboration on nationally and internationally significant memorial and museum commissions, work that operates at the highest level of institutional brand communication: translating complex historical, political, and cultural meaning into built environments and public experiences that resonate across diverse audiences.
004
Professor of Architecture + Design
Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College and Hampshire College
+ Architecture
+ Graphic Design
+ Industrial Design
+ Design Theory
Offering courses and advising in architecture, urban planning, industrial design, design theory, graphic design, information graphics, animation, fashion design, interactive UI/UX design, and systems and design thinking; responsible for teaching, governance, and advising.
005
Associate Partner
LogicTrail. Strategic Marketing
Northampton, MA
+ Strategic Visioning
+ Marketing Strategy
+ Brand Experience Building
Associate VP and Creative Director leading a team of 7–10 creatives, managing client relationships across brand strategy, digital and web, UI/UX, packaging, social media, and environmental design.
006
Visiting Associate Professor of Architecture + Design
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA
+ Architecture
+ Graphic Design
+ Industrial Design
+ Design Theory
Offering courses and advising at three institutions annually in architecture, urban planning, industrial design, design theory, graphic design, information graphics, animation, fashion design, interactive UI/UX design, and systems and design thinking; responsible for teaching, governance, and advising.
007
Adjunct Professor of Architecture
Columbia University, GSAPP
New York, NY
+ Architecture
+ Urban Planning
+ Graphic Representation
Courses offered:
Graduate Housing Studio
008
Project Architect, Designer
Michael Bell Design
New York, NY
+ The Binocular House, Ghent, NY
+ The Dwell House Competition,
Dwell Magazine
+ Venice Biennale Exhibition Design
Creative collaborator on several high-profile architectural works, including the Gefter-Press House, published in Casabella, Metropolitan Home, Metropolis, Dwell, and American Masterworks: Houses of the 20th and 21st Centuries, Kenneth Frampton.
007
Creative Director
Thirdmark Studios
New York, NY
+ Brand Experience Design
+ Environmental Graphics & Signage
+ Team Leadership
Lead a seven-person interdisciplinary creative/design team focused on branding, print, signage and environmental design.
My Values
These values guide my decisions, shape my process, and influence each project I am involved in and organization I work with. Core beliefs that drive my approach to projects, communities, and clients.
Human-Centered + Accessible
I prioritize the viewer, user, and participant in the process and objectives of projects and team-building processes.
Vision,
Strategy, + Organization
My work focuses on aspirational vision, concrete and innovative strategies, and effective, structured execution.
Outcomes + Results
Focused
Regardless of the medium or community, the goal of my creative and leadership work is the production of growth and positive change.
Collaborative, Inclusive, + Participatory
My teams and projects excel when all involved have ownership and a stake in the outcomes--this includes team members, collaborators, communities, and clients.
Recent Clients
Allora Restaurant, Baltimore, MD
Amherst Brewing Company
Andre Balazs Properties
Ara Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA
Bart’s Ice Cream Company, Greenfield, MA
Bay Path University, Strategic Alliances Program
Bay Path University, Women’s Leadership Conference:
2016: The Business of People
2017: Be Curious
2018: Why Not Me?
2019: Own Your Now
Berkshire Brewing Co.
Berkshire Hills Music Academy
Bristol’s Burgers, Hollywood, FL
Brookfield Holdings, NY, NY
Bueno Y Sano
Campfire Bar + Grill, Catamount, NY
Candy & Cones
Canteen Trading Co.
Catamount Mountain Ski Resort
CocoChew, Cape Cod, MA
College of the Holy Cross, Digital Trans Archive
CoRise Cooperative
Diplomat Prime, Hollywood, FL
Diplomat Restaurant Group
Diplomat Spa, Hollywood, FL
eDynamic Learning
Elevate Cooperative
Five Colleges, Inc., Five College Architectural Studies, On Architecture + Design Exhibition
Four Star Farms
Hampshire College, Change In the Making Advancement Campaign
Hangar Pub + Grill
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Hinata Retreat Resort
Hollywood Diplomat Beach Resort
Howard Wein Hospitality
Hot Oven Cookies, Springfield, MA
I Hiked That, Gear + Apparel
ICA Group
IdeaCo. Brand + Ideation
Iron Chef Jose Garces Group
Keurig Coffee
Knowledge Matters, Inc.
Live Art Magazine
Loews Hotels
Mass Audubon Society
MassCEO Cooperative
Monkitail. Sushi + Robatayaki
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., NY, NY
Nürish Beverage
Pearson Education
Playa Restaurant, Hollywood, FL
Point Royal, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian
Portico. Beer + Wine Garden
Praxis Consulting Group, Philadelphia, PA
Prosperity Candle
Related Properties
Samsung
Seesaw, Virtual Education Tools
Schulson Collective
SPARK: Community + Art Installation
Starr Restaurant Group
Starwood Hotels and Resorts
Squirrel Stash Products
Tea Guys Beverage Company
The Alavah Stone
The Hotel Bar, Diplomat Resort
The Jones Library, Amherst, MA
The Perch - Dining Room, Lounge & Bar
Tinkergarten, Experiential Learning
University of California, Santa Barbara, Security In Context, Grant-Funded Research Program
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Fine Arts Building, Fundraising Campaign
Rudd Adoption Research Program
University Gallery, University of Massachusetts, Crosstown Contemporary Art Exhibition
Volante Design
W Hotels
Wave Radio
Wicked Salty Clothing
Z-Wraps Inc.
Honors & Publications
Highlights of achievements and professional recognition from industry awards to selective publications--moments from my creative journey.
Kenneth Frampton
Magazine
Magazine
Magazine
Memorial Competition Finalist
Design Award
Identity Award
LSLM Award
Exhibition
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Biennale, Warsaw
