Able Parris 🙇☀️💭

I’m honored to share that @thoughtmatter is the winner of the 2026 National Design Award for Communication Design from @cooperhewitt , Smithsonian Design Museum. This award recognizes a body of work over the past ten years. As the most recent creative director of the studio, half of the projects presented are ones I led, including a range of projects for clients we’re still working with today. Which is to say: this team is remarkable. What I saw when I joined Thought Matter in 2024 was that this was a group of like-minded dreamers, ambitious and unstoppable. I had met a team who was not defined by category or labels, but by impact. One that believes design is never neutral, and can be used to imagine better futures, for our clients and each other. That civic work can (must!) be done alongside consumer and founder-led brand projects, because we live in this world we’re making. To the judges who chose us: thank you. It proves you don’t have to choose a lane, but you do have to pick a side. To every partner who continues to trust us with what you’re building: y’all are champions. Keep dreaming. We need it now more than ever. As ever, thank you to @jessiejmcguire for the vision and leadership. #NationalDesignAwards

Beholder is out now. Stream it today, and let me know your faves. ❤️‍🔥

NEW MUSIC ALERT ‘Alive Inside’ is out on Bandcamp, and will be rolling out across streaming services tomorrow. This release includes two tracks I wrote in 2021, ‘Life’ and ‘Live’. These songs are really personal to me, and I hope you get a chance to give them a listen. If you enjoy them, please share them with someone. Cover design by me. Photo by @juliaparris Sending you love. Thanks for listening. #electronicmusic #ambient #kamuter

SOLD OUT! Join the waitlist. Good Neighbor: Terms & Conditions The @thoughtmatter is finalizing all the details to make it a great time.

Come party with us. �Thursday May 14, @thoughtmatter is turning our studio into a night of drinks, music, and surprises we won’t yet reveal. Explore with us what it means to be a good neighbor. You don’t want to miss this one. Link in bio. Good Neighbor: Terms & Conditions Thought Matter studio 6PM — 9PM

“Design Connects Us” is this year’s @nycxdesign Festival theme. We have questions about that. The terms of connection are designed. How we show up for one another is what connects us. That’s why we’re opening our studio on Thursday, May 14 for a night of music, conversation, and a few drinks with our neighbors — the ones down the street and the ones in our feeds. Bring your friends. RSVP link in bio. Good Neighbor: Terms & Conditions Thought Matter 19 West 24th Street, 5th Floor New York, NY 10010 Thursday, May 14 6 PM — 9 PM

Two words: Thought Matter. The significance of that may not be immediately apparent to everyone, but it’s especially meaningful to me. In 2024, when I started working with @jessiejmcguire and the team on a few projects, the first was to rebrand the studio, then called “ThoughtMatter.” The logo above and the accompanying rebrand marked, literally and figuratively, the change. Separating the words reflected the clarity, vision, and flexibility the studio would claim in its work. The icon represents the “never settle” spirit of the studio. @thoughtmatter is independent, and that holds real value these days. Holding companies buying holding companies buying agencies is alarming. Creativity doesn’t run like a hedge fund. Leading creative here has been one of the greatest opportunities of my career. I get to work with partners who aren’t interested in being first to something just for the headline, but to create impact. In culture, in business, and more importantly, in communities. We design to meet the moment, and there is a lot of work to be done…

2016

I found this book at a used book store in Oaxaca City and later tore into its beautiful pages in the name of art. This one told me it needed to be much bigger than my sketchbook. #collage #collageretreat

I posed for this gate painting while we were in Mexico City. No big deal.

The third of three collages I made in my sketchbook during our holiday in Mexico. #collage #collageretreat

The second of three collages I made in my sketchbook during our holiday in Mexico. #collage #collageretreat