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Late last month, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum announced its 2026 National Design Awards, one of the most prestigious honors in the design field, and Thought Matter, the New York City-based communication design studio founded in 2015 by Thomas Jaffe and led by School of Visual Arts alumnus Jessie McGuire (MPS 2011 Branding), was recognized with the award for Communication Design.

The National Design Award for Communication Design is presented to an individual or firm for the impactful use of design in the service of information sharing, messaging, and overall communication. Thought Matter was recognized for its work at the intersection of design and civic life, creating brand identities, campaigns, digital platforms, and installations that distill complex ideas, spark dialogue, and inspire participation. The studio has worked with clients such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Historical, Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Misfits Market, and Thinx, and partnered with organizations such as the Times Square Alliance and the Street Vendor Project.

McGuire was part of the inaugural class of SVA’s MPS Branding program, established in 2010 by Debbie Millman and MFA Design Co-Chair Emeritus Steven Heller, and describes her experience at the College as formative to the way she came to understand the broader possibilities of communication design.

“I still remember pressing the elevator button for the 11th floor and stepping into the branding studio for the first time,” McGuire says. “There was a palpable feeling of possibility in that space, a sense that branding had a much bigger role to play in the world. Debbie had brought together an incredible group of thinkers across design, media, and culture, and being surrounded by those perspectives expanded how I understood the role communication design plays in the world.”

MPS Branding Chair Debbie Millman says that McGuire stood out from the beginning.

“Jessie was a first-year student in our master’s program, which immediately told us she was a brave risk-taker. Since graduating, she’s gone on to achieve tremendous success, doing important, provocative work that matters and makes a difference. We are all so thrilled and proud of this significant honor and accomplishment.”

McGuire says that the award feels especially meaningful at a time when communication design continues to expand beyond identity and take on a broader civic and cultural role.

“Over the past 15 years, we’ve watched the field evolve dramatically. Branding has moved far beyond identity into questions of trust, participation, and public meaning. The work Thought Matter is being recognized for with the National Design Award reflects that same shift. Communication design shapes how institutions, companies, and civic organizations show up in the world, and how people place their trust in them.

“What’s been especially meaningful is seeing the reach of the program through its alumni,” she continues. “We’ve worked with and hired many SVA Branding graduates at Thought Matter across strategy, research, and design. The program created not just a curriculum, but a community of people continuing to push the field forward.

“Receiving the National Design Award for Communication Design feels especially meaningful at a moment when communication design is expanding in exactly the ways the SVA branding program has long believed possible.”

The 2026 National Design Award winners will be honored at the Smithsonian National Design Awards Gala on Tuesday, May 19, in New York City. Congratulations to McGuire, Jaffe, and the entire Thought Matter team.