Diti Katona is a founding partner of Concrete Design Communications. As a creative director, she is best known for producing elegant and evocative work for the firm's clients in fashion, retail and luxury goods.

Diti's creative direction and marketing experience guide the strategy and development of brand campaigns, product packaging, custom publications and visual identities. She also leads the firm's involvement in startup ventures and business partnerships focused on the development of innovative lifestyle and luxury brands.

Over the years, Diti's creative work has received numerous awards from juries throughout North America and Europe, including the American Center for Design (Chicago), the American Institute for Graphic Arts (New York), Graphis Design (New York), and British Design and Art Direction (London).

Diti frequently lectures on design topics, serves as a faculty advisor at design schools, and judges international competitions in her field.

A founding partner of Concrete, John Pylypczak is a creative director, designer, brand strategist and writer. John has articulated brand strategies and produced integrated campaigns with elements that include identity design, product packaging, advertising, naming, web presence, and site-specific installations for a diverse roster of clients.

Along with Diti Katona, he leads the firm's brand communications practice. His work has received extensive recognition in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia, and includes awards from the American Center for Design (Chicago), the American Institute for Graphic Arts (New York), Graphis Design (New York), and British Design and Art Direction (London).

John is active as a jury member for design competitions and often serves as an advisor to design schools and other cultural organizations.

One of the original members of the Concrete team, Lou Ann Sartori oversees all aspects of the company’s operations. Lou Ann is responsible for the successful journey of all projects through the studio – from budgeting, trafficking, production and final billing. She also plays a key role in staffing issues as well as the long-term financial planning of the practice.

With over 20 years of experience in project management, Lou Ann has established strong relationships with key suppliers. This, along with her acute attention to detail and determined hands-on approach, ensures that all projects are executed efficiently, on-time and on-budget.

Branka Stavric is a classically trained brand marketing strategist who brings 20+ years experience in helping global companies identify compelling insights, construct well-considered messages and create powerful communication campaigns.   

Her keen abilities to leverage research findings to identify critical and well-supported brand and consumer insights have helped many blue-chip companies realize incremental business, brand success and revenue opportunities.

She has held both client and agency-side roles and worked in many industries and sectors, including: financial services, consumer packaged goods, hospitality, government technology, healthcare and entertainment.  Companies she has worked with include: Unilever, Kraft, SC Johnson, Cisco, SAP, TD Canada Trust, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Algoma University, Government of Ontario, and Ontario Lottery and Gaming.

Ty has over 15 years experience working in design communications and advertising in the US and abroad. His work spans all media for both Fortune 500 and boutique clients alike. Ty’s strategic mindset and consummate craftsmanship have resulted in extensive recognition throughout North America and Europe. Before coming to Concrete, Ty held positions at several top agencies including Cahan & Associates in San Francisco and TAXI in Toronto.

Before coming to Concrete, Rene worked with the CBC, Colorization, and the Design Management Group. Rene has been a vital part of Concrete’s production team for over 15 years, and has recently assumed responsibilities for video and website production.

Jordan came to Concrete directly from the Ontario College of Art and Design seven years ago. In addition to leading Concrete’s work with Allstream, Jordan has won numerous awards for his work on projects such as AZURE Magazine, Bartlett & Associates, Film North, and MASS LBP.

Ryan comes to Concrete by way of Montreal with more than ten years of design and branding experience. He has worked with clients such as the Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra, GE Canada, Telus, L'Oréal Professional, among others, and holds a Master's in Communication Design from Central Saint Martins College, London. At Concrete his work on AZURE Magazine and BITE Beauty has won numerous awards.

A native of Brasília, Leticia has been a member of the Concrete team for five years. She has been intensively involved in Concrete’s work for fashion and cosmetics brands and has led teams working for Holt Renfrew and Susanne Lang Fragrances.

Mark studied English at the University of Toronto and Comparative Literature at Western, with additional courses in Paris and Siena. He spent six years at TAXI working on brands like TELUS and TIFF, before joining Concrete to oversee our work with Allstream, utilizing his strengths in communications, strategy and planning.

Clarence has experience in a variety of disciplines involving fashion, media and pop culture. He currently manages all aspects of the Perricone MD account. Previous to Concrete, Clarence has worked on many different brands including The Bay, Nike, Adidas and the 2010 Olympic Games.

With an extensive background in print production, most projects produced at Concrete pass through Ava’s hands. Specifically, she has had a key role in managing Concrete’s accounts with Holt Renfrew, Lida Baday, Perricone MD, Keilhauer, Unitron, Film North, Allstream, and Susanne Lang Perfumerie. A Vancouver native, Ava came to Toronto to study Graphic Communications Management at Ryerson University.

Cristian comes to Concrete from his native Santiago, with stops in Christchurch and Miami along the way. With over 12 years of experience in all areas of brand design working with clients in Europe, North and South America, Cristian brings a particular expertise in digital interface design. He arrived in Canada to work internationally at Blast Radius handling a wide array of brands including Nokia, Nike and Heineken.

Edmond studied design at York University, but came to Concrete by way of New York, where he worked with such clients MAC Cosmetics, MoMA, Fontainebleu Resorts, Converse, and Sundance. At Concrete, Ed leads the work for Perricone MD, and has been winning numerous awards for his identity work on Fabbrica, Mark McEwan’s newest restaurant in Toronto. In a studio filled with cyclists, Ed’s the only one who bikes to work year round.

Natasa manages the digital and social media aspects of the Allstream account among others. Prior to coming to Concrete, Natasa worked on accounts for ABSOLUT, Mars Canada, and the Canadian launches for the iPhone, and other Apple products. She once directed Morgan Freeman over the phone while he recorded Visa commercials for Canadian TV.

Brittany began her career as a Registered Veterinary Technician before Durham College’s design program steered her to Concrete almost three years ago. During her design tenure, Brittany has worked on a variety of accounts including Holt Renfrew, SUPER by Dr. Nicholas Perricone, Bite Beauty, Sula Beauty, Pizza Nova, and McDonalds.

Heather has worked for a variety of organizations, including Foodland Ontario, the Government of Ontario, the Canadian Automobile Association, and Ontario Lottery and Gaming. She currently manages the demand generation aspects of the Allstream account. An avid skier, Heather has competed in moguls and aerials competitions.

A long-time Concrete collaborator, Larry Gaudet is recognized as one of Canada’s most original – and diversely accomplished – communications professionals. His work spans branding strategy, corporate messaging, venture financing, literary expression, social philosophy and conceptual art.

Praised as an “heir to McLuhan” Gaudet has published six critically acclaimed books, including two best-sellers, Safe Haven, a history of the sanctuary principle, and Into The Blast Furnace, a work of magic corporate realism. His most recent work, The Disasters of Peace, an installation of text and images inspired by the 80 engravings in Francisco Goya’s epic work, The Disasters of War, was exhibited in Toronto by Alison Smith Gallery in association with the Interna­tional Festival of Authors.

Larry leads Concrete’s work with Allstream.

Originally from the Channel Islands, Alison is a newly minted Canadian citizen. In her more than a decade of experience, Alison has worked on Riocan, Toronto Hydro, General Electric, and skateboarding guru brands éS and etnies. She is the interactive specialist at Concrete and is the go-to person for designing for iPad, responsive websites, and jQuery.

Aurora manages the BITE Beauty, Film North, Inscape, Pizza Nova, Sula, and Unitron accounts. She previously worked in publishing and in film, and has extensive experience in corporate communications. Originally from Vancouver, Aurora came to Toronto by way of Montreal, where she earned a MA in Media Studies from Concordia University.

A graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena California, Matthew has extensive experience working on brands both in the consumer product and arts/cultural sectors. He has undertaken projects for Coca Cola, Nike, Stones Throw Records, Stüssy, Vans, The New York Times Magazine, Yerba Buena Center for The Arts, and Chronicle Books.

Lisa is part of Concrete’s Allstream team, managing advertising and media for that account. She studied advertising, and has worked on HomeSense, Labatt, Whiskas, Molson, and Target. Born in the middle of the civil war in Beirut, Lisa has lived in Toronto since coming to Canada as a child.

Claudia supports both senior management and Concrete staff in the daily administrative functions of the studio.

Centennial College

Humber College
Ryerson University

University of Alberta