@smartdesign is the Santa Monica-based design office of Susanne Manheimer. For the previous vigorous and exuberant 20 years, Manheimer has been recognized for her work by its elegance, sophisticated humor, style, and wit. Her knowledge, understanding and respect for innovative design, is incorporated in her invention of new design approaches. Simplicity and directness of communication are the main elements of her style. Her work makes people smile, laugh, and think. Today, she divides her time between running the studio, teaching, and lecturing to corporations and schools on the importance of the democratization of creativity as well as conceptual thinking and problem solving.

Manheimer graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute with a BFA in design. Manheimer, a native New Yorker, worked in the city as a creative director for Tiffany and Co. where she was awarded a Certificate of Distinction for Typography, Creative Director for Bloomingdales by Mail, Revlon, and the Museum of Modern Art, to name a few. Disney called and she moved to California to work for Disney + Co. as creative director for the Disney catalogue. Manheimer has a history of success mentoring young designers, both in academic roles and as an industry leader. She has been described as a “needle in a haystack,” a conceptual designer who is creative yet has strong business acumen.