Amy Gustincic and Jay Ganaden both served as presidents of AIGA San Francisco—at different times, but with a shared passion for community, creativity, and experimentation. In this episode, they reflect on the wild ride of shaping SF’s chapter culture, from designing risk-friendly programming to redefining who AIGA is really for.

From parties that made the fire marshal nervous to retreats that sparked systemic change, they share lessons in leadership, legacy, and letting your weird ideas fly. Also: ghost tours, secret code names, and what happens when a national leader shows up and gets mistaken for security.

Key Takeaways

• Design is never neutral: Jay and Amy challenged who AIGA was for—and designed toward that
• Let the vision be weird: AIGA SF’s best programming came from instinct, not consensus
• Strategy that looked like a party: San Francisco’s signature move.
• Lead with impact, not polish: Jay reminds us that systems work beats showmanship
• Make your own template: They both pushed back on “default AIGA” in favor of community-first design

Key Moments in This Episode

01:05 – The earliest memories: student chapters, ghost tours, and blurry lines between volunteer and friend

03:40 – Amy’s presidency: events, vibes, and pushing the SF board into its weird era

06:00 – Jay’s turn: building a chapter brand that challenged national assumptions

08:25 – The party as strategy: from venues that smelled like cat pee to community as curation

12:40 – Fires, fire marshals, and the time Jay was mistaken for security

15:50 – Retreats and realignment: translating vibes into systems

18:30 – Leadership friction: why resisting default settings is part of the job

21:15 – After the presidency: when impact shows up in unexpected places

24:00 – Advice for future board members: don’t wait for permission

About Our Guests

Amy Gustincic is a designer and strategist based in the Bay Area, leading Studio Bellwether for over 15 years. She works with creative teams and organizations to articulate vision, align stakeholders, and turn possibility into reality. She also served as a past AIGA SF president, helping shape the chapter’s legacy of design-forward leadership.

Jay Ganaden is an experience strategy leader and creative executive, currently at Adobe. His career spans tech, finance, and design sectors—bringing a human-centered lens to complex systems and brand experiences. A former AIGA SF president, he believes deeply in “build it yourself” community-making, and using design as a mechanism for belonging.

Featuring

Guest Amy Gustincic, connect on LinkedIn

Guest Jay Ganaden, connect on LinkedIn

Host Erik Cargill, connect on LinkedIn

Host Rachel Elnar, connect on LinkedIn 

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• Theme music: Loose Ends by Silver Ships Plastic Oceans
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