Co-founder and managing partner at Popular Operations. Popular Operations provides high-level trend analysis, planning and system design practices to the growing social sector. It's approach is predicated on a unique method of trend analysis and future forecasting.
Sem's work has helped top companies, non-governmental organizations and high-profile individuals design effective strategies and winning product concepts, based on a deep understanding of human psychology and socio-cultural trends. Her broad international experience – with a focus on Europe and Latin America and Africa – has been particularly useful to clients looking to implement global strategies effectively in local markets.
In the past, Sem concentrated on developing methods and systems to track, quantify and map qualitative cultural change. She has pursued her passion for trend analysis at Studio Edelkoort and Faith Popcorn's Brainreserve. Most recently, she created a cultural analysis framework for a pioneering new agency model launched by Omnicom Group in New York City.
Sem studied art history, sociology and comparative religion at the Universitaet Tuebingen in Germany and design at Domus Academy in Milan.
Her Clients have included Christian Dior, Camper, Daimler, L'oreal, Johnson & Johnson, Pespico, Philips Design, BBC, Akzo Nobel, Deepak Chopra and the Omnicom Group.
Sem's work has helped top companies, non-governmental organizations and high-profile individuals design effective strategies and winning product concepts, based on a deep understanding of human psychology and socio-cultural trends. Her broad international experience – with a focus on Europe and Latin America and Africa – has been particularly useful to clients looking to implement global strategies effectively in local markets.
In the past, Sem concentrated on developing methods and systems to track, quantify and map qualitative cultural change. She has pursued her passion for trend analysis at Studio Edelkoort and Faith Popcorn's Brainreserve. Most recently, she created a cultural analysis framework for a pioneering new agency model launched by Omnicom Group in New York City.
Sem studied art history, sociology and comparative religion at the Universitaet Tuebingen in Germany and design at Domus Academy in Milan.
Her Clients have included Christian Dior, Camper, Daimler, L'oreal, Johnson & Johnson, Pespico, Philips Design, BBC, Akzo Nobel, Deepak Chopra and the Omnicom Group.
Sessions
The New Shopping Economy
Thursday, May 7 • 10:15am – 12:15pm
With sales from big box retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart slipping, and new shopping outlets emerging in a big way such as Amazon, where are consumers choosing to shop? How are consumer shopping trends changing and what do designers need to know to create products for a new wave of consumers with very different demographics? Who is generation Z and how do we design packaging and products for them?
The panel will be an hour long. Each panelist will have 10 mins to discuss their research on the topic at hand. After a 30 mins, a panel discussion will take place with Debbie Millman as the moderator.
