Ken Carbone, co-founder of the Carbone Smolan Agency (CSA) and SVA faculty member, gave students a lecture that was really a master class in branding.

Students were asked to prepare a short presentation on how a brand of their choice could be described through the five senses. Among the many imaginative answers: Apple was described as “effervescent”, Muji as “soft white” and Google as “frictionless”. Ken used the exercise to instill students with the idea that brands are “living things that need to be nurtured and looked after.”

Ken imparted students with a litany of valuable advice, including his personal adage: “Be Smart, work hard, have fun.”