For over 40 years, Ken Carbone and Leslie Smolan were the creative force behind the internationally recognized design firm Carbone Smolan Agency (CSA). Known for combining substance with style, they delivered insightful strategy, content development, design, brand expression, and digital activation across corporate, consumer, and cultural sectors. 

Based in New York City from 1977 to 2020, CSA created award-winning work for global brands such as Tiffany & Co., Christie's, W Hotels, McGraw Hill, PBS, Dale Carnegie, Mohawk Paper, the Boston Consulting Group, IBM, Aether Apparel, Morgan Stanley, Sesame Workshop and Mandarin Hotel Group. The agency also collaborated with renowned art institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, LACMA, the Jewish Museum, the Pierpont Morgan Library, and the Edward Hopper House. In 1986, they won an international design competition to create the graphics and signage for the Musée du Louvre. This accomplishment began a three-year collaboration with the legendary architect I.M Pei. Examples of CSA designs still exist in the museum today. 

Other notable clients included Ken Burns Films, the Dalai Lama, the New York Botanical Garden, the World Bank, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Clinton White House. Over the years, CSA employed more than 500 talented individuals, working with North American, European, Latin American, and Asian clients. In 2014, CSA received the Lifetime Achievement Award from AIGA, the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

On January 1, 2020, the Carbone Smolan Agency ended a decades-long success story and closed its doors. Today, Ken Carbone and Leslie Smolan enjoy independent careers in painting and photography. They continue to offer counsel to brands and institutions on special occasions.