Venables Bell & Partners (VB+P) strengthened the leadership team for its experience design practice, VBP Orange.
Brian Diecks (pictured, left) joins VBP Orange as director of client services and production, while Peter Antonelli (pictured, right) will serve as design director. Along with VBP Orange founder and director of strategy Harlan Kennedy, the pair round out the experience design practice’s leadership team.
“Often in this industry, marketers and agencies focus narrowly on building their brand solely through mass communications. Our charge at Orange is to ensure the brand’s DNA and promise is reflected clearly in more tangible experiences with the brand, particularly in their physical spaces and retail environments – and that those experiences deliver on the brand’s objectives overall,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Both Brian and Peter bring a compelling skill set and each have a unique passion for what we do. I’m thrilled to welcome them to our team as we continue to find innovative ways to enhance consumers’ experiences with our brand partners.”
Diecks will be tasked with leading all client relationships and project execution. He joins the agency from Swirl, where he spent over five and a half years leading creative on the agency’s Sprint and Microsoft retail accounts as creative director. Prior to joining Swirl, he served as vice president, creative services at Premier Retail Networks (PRN) for four years, working with clients such as Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Costco, Sam’s Club and Meijer.
As design director, Antonelli will be responsible for providing leadership in “ideation, design, and definition of human–centered brand experiences.” Antonelli joins VBP Orange from global design and innovation firm IDEO, where he has served as design director for its New York office since March of 2016, following four years as senior design lead and nearly the same period as senior communications designer before that. Antonelli founded independent design practice Antonelli Design in 2001 and has taught at The New School and NYU.