Lee Friedman has over 25 years of experience in design and visual communication. His work has received awards from the AIGA, the Society of Publication Designers, Communication Arts, and Graphis. Lee Friedman Studio is a multidisciplinary design practice encompassing publication design, event branding, identity systems, websites, and and a variety of other online and print collateral. Lee has been a Creative Director at several magazines including Dwell, and Everywhere, an online and print travel magazine.

Prior to all of the above, he began his career as a photographer in New York City...well, of course there was that year after college of living and working in Paris.... But upon his return to NYC, he really began his career by assisting many prominent photographers including David Seidner, Mario Testino, Eric Boman, Santé D’Orazio, and finally, a year or so exclusively with Steven Meisel. Subsequently establishing his own studio, Lee shot fashion, still-life and portraiture for both advertising and editorial clients including Vogue, Esquire, Spy, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, Bergdorf Goodman, and The New York Times Magazine among others. Fast-forward about a dozen years, and the desire for change became too great to ignore—leaving Manhattan for an environment with fewer distractions (Providence, RI), he immersed himself in grad school and a generous amount of self-reflection. This path would ultimately lead to the move out west and a renewed focus, both professionally and personally, in San Francisco. Lee is still deeply involved in photography, though now primarily working on personal projects.

He’s learned a lot over the years...about photography, design, life, the creative process (and the demons that can thwart it). Sharing this knowledge continues to be an important and rewarding part of his ongoing journey. Lee has taught at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), SUNY New Paltz, The San Francisco Art Institute, California College of the Arts (CCA), University of San Francisco, and San Francisco State University. He holds a BFA in Photography from Pratt Institute, and an MFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design.