Jason Ackley

I'm an award-winning graphic designer, art director, and design executive, currently managing the branding and marketing-design efforts for Chicago-based Morningstar Inc. I oversee a global, multidisciplinary team, guiding and mentoring young creatives, as well as contributing to the strategic vision and process management of the organization.

Throughout my career I've been fiercely dedicated to pursuing design solutions that connect, inspire, intrigue, inform, and ultimately provide value to the end user, and as a result, elevate the brand and business. After receiving my BFA from The University of Illinois at Chicago's School of Design, I got my start at Andersen Worldwide developing a wide variety of branded communications supporting Arthur Andersen, Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), and their clients. After a stint at a non-profit, I made my way to Morningstar, where I've built a career over the past 16 years. Starting on the product development side my design work was focused on bringing clarity to complex financial data to help investors make better informed decisions. I then shifted to marketing and brand-management, joining Morningstar's first corporate marketing team. There we developed visual and verbal brand tools that fueled product marketing campaigns, brand awareness initiatives, and sales enablement. In 2013 I was appointed Design Director of the newly-formed Marketing Services group.

Although a 20-year veteran in the business my education continues. I've taken courses in business writing and project management through Loyola University's School of Continuing & Professional Studies. I studied typography with Wolfgang Weigngart at The Basel School of Design through their Summer Workshops program. And I most recently completed The Yale School of Management's Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders program.

My work has received recognition by the AIGA and the Society of Typographic Arts, including entry into the permanent Chicago Design Archive.