R/GA and Google Logos and the event flyerThe Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship is pleased to announce that the award-winning interactive digital agency R/GA is returning to the MSU campus and this time will be joined by Google’s Brand Studio. They will present “Anticipating the wave of the future: How R/GA and Google approach innovation.” on Thursday, April 14, at 6:30 p.m. in Jabs Hall room 111.

The talk is free and open to the public.

With offices worldwide, R/GA was founded in 1977 as a motion graphics firm and worked on more than 400 feature films including Superman and Alien. By 1995, the company shifted its focus and reinvented itself as an interactive digital agency.

Today, R/GA works alongside Fortune 500 companies, helping them navigate how consumers interact with brands in the digital world across a variety of devices, screens and experiences in the connected age. Professionals and students in the areas of computer science, engineering, film, marketing and design are encouraged to attend.

Google’s Brand Studio will also be joining the R/GA team on campus. The team represents a passionate group of creative thinkers tasked with shaping the future of Google brands by deepening the affection of Google’s users.

The group’s goal is to understand how users behave and how they use Google’s products, how they perceive and interact with Google’s brands, what impact media communications and messages have and what cultural and social influences shape their view of the world around them. The team will specifically speak about their work in designing experiences that delight and entertain across the search giant’s many digital properties.

“We are pleased to be hosting such a diverse and world class group from R/GA and Google here in Bozeman”, said Jake Cook, adjunct professor of marketing. “Both of these companies are sending talent that spans computer science, interactive design, and digital marketing. This is an incredible opportunity for students and entrepreneurs to hear firsthand how the future is being invented and what methodologies they can use for inspiration in building their own startups or careers.”

During the talk, “Anticipating the wave of the future: How R/GA and Google approach innovation,” both companies will discuss how as technology changes and design requirements shift their teams have to always evolve learn new skills. Attendees will be treated to a variety of real-world examples on how interfaces, technology and design are being merged together to create tomorrow’s digital experiences.

In addition, the interdisciplinary R/GA and Google teams will be hosting a student workshop titled, “How to Get Your Dream Job and Keep It” as well as judging startup pitches at the MSU Blackstone LaunchPad. Finally, students will have the chance to learn cutting-edge methodologies for prototyping mobile apps without writing code in the Design Sandbox for Engaged Learning (DSEL).

R/GA has made several key hires during previous visits to the campus, and recruiters will also be on campus interviewing potential student candidates across business, engineering and design for its summer internship program. Interested students are encouraged to attend the talk on Thursday evening and learn more about the company’s work.