The Atlantic parters with Gravity Free 2012

“The Atlantic and GRAVITY FREE are organizations rooted in the world of ideas and we both value forward thinking and innovation. GRAVITY FREE brings together fearless designers and brave thinkers, making this an exciting and perfect partnership,” says Jay Lauf, publisher of The Atlantic.

GRAVITY FREE is a two-day conversation with the world’s most inspiring design thinkers and doers. This world-class event is designed to take attendees out of their daily routine of familiar ideas, and connect them with the most diverse and fearless designers who are changing the way we see the world.

This year’s theme – “Outlaws and Icons” – is a riveting program of twenty of the world’s most fearless designers whose passion and personal vision takes them outside convention – where breaking the rules often produces breathtaking results. No surprise: Outlaws often become icons.

Lee Knight, Founder and Chief Instigator at GRAVITY FREE, said: “We’re excited with the opportunity to partner with The Atlantic. With its award-winning focus on cultural trends as well as foreign affairs, politics and the economy, The Atlantic is aimed at a target audience of thought leaders which provides us the opportunity to grow and extend the reach of GRAVITY FREE.”

This year’s program of world-class designers include: Javier Mariscal, a multidisciplinary maverick of design; George Lois, Art Director/Magazine Designer, Iris van Herpen, Fashion Designer; Rafael de Cardenas, Interior Designer; Neville Brody,Typographer; Ivan Brunetti, Comic Book Artist; Chip Kidd, Book Cover Designer; Jer Thorp, Data Visualization; Leland Maschmeyer, Commercial Designer, Professor, & Writer; Alex Lieu, Artificial Reality Game Designer; James Ramsey, Urbanist; Margie Ruddick, Landscape Designer; James Victore, Graphic Designer; Gordon Gill, Architect; Kyle Cooper, Motion Designer; Brian Collins, Brand & Experience Designer; Karsten Schmidt, Computational Designer.

GRAVITY FREE 2012 will be held at the Spertus Institute in Chicago. This venue is a mixed-use program facility containing exhibition galleries, a library, a 400-seat multi-use auditorium, and a smattering of classrooms. The bold sculptural details make the institution truly modern, yet it has a timeless quality that has helped to put Chicago on the architectural map. Registration for GRAVITY FREE 2012 includes access to all on-stage speaker talks, all close-up speaker-hosted roundtables, plus access to all receptions and off-site events.

See the complete program registration and event details at www.gravityfreedesign.com.

About GRAVITY FREE
GRAVITY FREE 2012 is a one-of-a-kind showcase for the best ideas in design. This year, twenty of the world’s most remarkable designers – from twenty different design disciplines – invite you to join them for a close-up look at “Outlaws and Icons” – the conference theme for 2012. For more information go to www.gravityfreedesign.com or follow on Twitter at @GravityFree.

About The Atlantic
The Atlantic delivers bold ideas in surround sound. It engages its print, digital, live, and mobile audiences with breakthrough insights into the worlds of politics, business, technology, culture, and the arts. For more information go to www.theatlantic.com