David "Dave"PRESSLER

David Pressler

Dave's 2011 Autobiography

Dave Pressler is President of Synapsis Corporation, a creative marketing communications consulting firm and a founding principal of Blackburn Pressler Associates, LLC, a national corporate identity and branding consultancy. He is also a longtime member and past officer of the Industrial Designers Society of America. Dave is the recipient of numerous design awards for his design work and is named on several patents for proprietary design contributions to such companies as Kodak, BASF, Warner-Lambert and Hasbro.

Dave Pressler holds a BFA in Industrial Design from Rhode Island School of Design and has studied at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC, and Silvermine Guild Arts Center, New Canaan, where he is currently a Guild Member and former trustee and officer.

He has headed educational exhibit divisions of The American Museum of Natural History, New York; Field Museum, Chicago; as well as The Hudson River Museum, Westchester.

Most recently, Dave has used his photographic and artistic skills in exhibitions and digital projection presentations to share his insights. He is an Artist Member and past President of ART/PLACE Cooperative Gallery, Fairfield; Artist Member of the Westport Arts Center; Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk; Member of the Fairfield Arts Council; Professional Member of the Norwalk Camera Club and an annual speaker and judge of the Westport Y’s Men’s photography competitions. Dave is also a founding member of the Friends of the Fairfield Public Library’s Curatorial Committee for the Bruce S. Kershner Gallery.

His work is in numerous private collections, Bridgeport Hospital's Heart Institute, Fairfield; St. Vincent's Hospital Special Needs Center, Stratford; Cardiac Associates, Stamford and The Watermark Corporation.

Dave has exhibited at the Silvermine Guild Arts Center, and Waveny Estate, New Canaan; Westport Arts Center and Nylen Gallery, Westport; ArtPlace Gallery, Fairfield; Sackler Gallery, Stamford; The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk; Bendheim Gallery, Greenwich; Highstead Arboretum, Redding, CT; Housatonic Museum of Art, and The Discovery Museum, Bridgeport; The Northern Westchester Center for the Arts and The Hudson River Museum among many others.

Works may be viewed at: http://www.Silvermineart.org, http://www.artplace.org and http://www.heartifacts.us

Dave’s Update (2021)

Introduction: Upon graduating from Staples, I attended Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where I received a BFA in Industrial Design. The creative problem-solving education at RISD prepared me for a very satisfying and varied career. In the summer of our freshman year I re-met my childhood sweetheart, Judy, and we married after our graduations in August 1965. This August we will celebrate our 56th anniversary! We have shared a wonderful life together. Our daughter was born in 1972. She is happily married and lives in Chevy Chase, MD with our two teenage grandchildren. We have had the good fortune of enjoying international travel and have done so around the world. Judy is now a retired Realtor; as a flutist, she performs with the Westport Community Band and Connecticut Symphonic Winds. We still live in Fairfield County. I am enjoying sharing my photography of travel and observational experiences in presentations to organizations like photography clubs, the Westport Y’s Men, Lifetime Learners Institute, retirement communities and senior centers!

1965 - 1971: I began my career as the first full-time Product Designer hired by the Rhode Island toy company, Hasbro. Within a year, the Vietnam War found me in the Regular Navy, assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, DC, using my design and photography skills in exhibit and graphic design, press photography and procurement of art for the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, plus, providing projection graphics for daily briefings at the Pentagon.

1971 – 1977: Headed divisions at Field Museum, Chicago, and American Museum of Natural History, NYC, in experimental, inter-active educational materials development and travelling exhibits.

1977 – 1981: At N.W. Ayer Advertising, NYC, Vice President, Senior Account & Design Manager for key Agency accounts: AT&T, DeBeers Diamonds, Kraft Foods, Pan Am & U.S. Army.

1982 – 1996: As and Partner with the design consultancy Gerstman & Myers, NYC, and Vice President at King-Casey, Inc., New Canaan, CT: Managed key client programs in brand identity, structural & graphic package design for major corporations and generated new business development.

1996 – 2015: Founded Synapsis Corporation, providing strategic and creative marketing communications, focus group moderation, corporate and brand identity, website analysis and design.

2003 – 2015: Founded and managed the partnership Blackburn Pressler associates, LLC, specializing in corporate identity, branding and corporate communications.

During my career I was a longtime member and past officer of the Industrial Designers Society of America, am the recipient of numerous design awards, and named on several patents for proprietary design contributions to such companies as Kodak, BASF, Warner-Lambert and Hasbro.