Once-Future Office

Elijah has a strong interest in the relationship between design and people and prioritizes social responsibilities in his work. Before joining Once–Future, Elijah brought that passion to his work with cultural and non-profit institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, MoMA, and The Center for Urban Pedagogy, creating graphic, environmental, exhibition, motion, sound, and digital design. As an Environmental Designer at Once–Future, his work draws on his love for wayfinding, conceptual thinking, and experimentation to ensure the development of compelling and scalable creative spatial solutions. Though most of Elijah’s projects at Once–Future are environmentally focused, he also supports the team on projects at various scales. Recent work at Once–Future includes signage and wayfinding for the David Rubenstein Treehouse conference center and Portland State University’s new School of Art, Art History, and Design building. He received his BFA from Eastern Michigan University and has a dog, Gerald, whom he loves very much.

Nikki is a founding Principal at Once–Future Office. She sets the stage for successful projects by aligning client objectives with creative potential. Her purpose-driven approach comes from her appreciation for community engagement, clarity, and inspiring new ideas. A Portland, OR native, Nikki excels at helping large groups find common ground on their objectives through her laid back but direct style. Nikki loves color, typography, details, and Dungjai’s mom’s cooking. A lifelong learner, she enjoys listening to podcasts (from geopolitical wonkery to The Bachelor analysis), knitting, traveling, and watching her young children grow. She looks forward to a day when she can explore the world with her kids.

Nikki’s experience spans nearly 20 years across design studios, large agencies, fashion houses, magazines, and architecture firms. She has lectured and taught at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), Rhode Island School of Design, and the California College of the Arts. Nikki holds a BA in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley and an MFA in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design.

A Brooklyn native, coming from a background in architectural conservation and with a master’s from Columbia University’s GSAPP, Gilda brings her love for research, design, and the built environment to the projects she manages at Once–Future Office. She prioritizes client satisfaction and ensures projects of all scopes and scales run smoothly, on schedule, and within budget. Recently managed projects include signage and wayfinding for the expanding campus of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, a multi-channel voter engagement campaign for NYC, and signage and wayfinding for Brookfield’s two ground-up mixed-use towers in the Bronx. When she’s not making spreadsheets and firing off emails at the O–FFICE, Gilda enjoys spending summers in Fire Island and being an auntie to three nieces and nephews.

With a background in designing identity systems, editorial work, motion graphics, and iconography in both agency and freelance environments, Taylor loves learning about clients and finding ways that stories can become accessible at every corner of a project. He brings a research and systems-based approach to the experiential, interactive, and identity work at Once–Future. Recent projects include an in-progress website for the Capital Jewish Museum and identity system and website for Alda Ly Architecture. When OOO, Taylor loves being places he doesn’t understand and fueling park walks with instant coffee.

Dungjai is a founding Principal and Creative Director of Once-Future Office. A big picture systems-thinker who loves connecting design, people, and the built environment, she sees potential in all things and brings unmatched creative vision to the studio. As a first-generation Thai-Chinese American and native Californian (LBC!), she leads our teams and projects with warmth and patience while getting shit done. Dungjai is an award winning designer whose work has been recognized by the Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club, Print Regional Design Annual, the Society of Publication Designers, and the Van Alen Institute. With her hands-on approach, she has led multi-channel campaigns for NYC, branding and wayfinding for world-class buildings and museums, identity systems for leading practices within the architecture and design industry, and exhibitions for renowned cultural institutions.

Dungjai was previously the Art Director at Metropolis magazine where she led the art department staff in all aspects of the magazine’s publication and subsidiary brands. She holds a BA in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley and an MFA in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design. Dungjai has taught at Pratt Institute and the School of Visual Arts (SVA). When she’s OOO, she enjoys being a mama bear for her two sassy girls, eating good food with good company, and anything that sparkles.

Helen works on a range of projects including identity, signage, exhibitions, print, and websites. In keeping with her interest in materiality, typography, and experimentation, Helen takes a multidisciplinary approach to each project she works on, creating powerful, concept-driven work. Her favorite parts of the design process are research, exploration, and strategy. Helen has worked on projects such as the NYC Votes Primary and General Election campaigns, signage and environmental graphics for Galaxy Digital’s New York office space, and a strategic brand refresh and citywide campaign for NYC climate and environmental justice. She received her BFA from The Cooper Union and was a recipient of the Rhoda Lubalin Fellowship for Type High: Experiments in Dimensional Design and Typography. Helen loves when letterforms are large, dimensional, and something you can interact with.

With an interest in identity design and typography, Joseph is passionate about finding creative solutions that bring graphic elements into physical spaces. Most recently at Once–Future Future, Joseph worked on an exhibition at the Center for Architecture featuring Fairy Tale Architecture and a 35th Year Anniversary logo for the New York Immigration Coalition. Previously, he worked on the identity and art direction for Utopia, an exhibition at WantedDesign Manhattan. He studied graphic design and industrial design at Rhode Island School of Design. Having grown up in California, Joseph enjoys road trips, hiking, exploring new places, and photographing all the exciting things he sees along the way.

With a passion for interactive and branding design, Xinyi loves to explore various mediums, learning through research, and finding innovative ways to express her creations. She graduated from Parsons with a BFA in Communication Design. Her recent work at Once–Future includes the Capital Jewish Museum website and a mass timber web tool. Currently Xinyi is curious about AI and self-studying on the subject. Beyond the world of design, she finds joy in outdoor sports and travel, embracing a healthy lifestyle, and finding beauty in nature.