Mies Hora
President and Founder of Ultimate Symbol

Mies supervises new product development, product design, packaging and marketing campaigns. He co-authored the 4-volume series of best-selling design reference books, "Design Elements - A Visual Reference" upon which the CD and book "Design Elements 5 by Ultimate Symbol" is based.

Before starting Ultimate Symbol, Mies had a long career in the design field, where his experience includes corporate identity, advertising, positioning, environmental design, wayfinding, and photography. He has been Design Director and Principal of Hora Associates since 1979. Earlier, Mies served on the design staffs of Chermayeff & Geismar Inc., Rudolph DeHarak Associates, and the Parsons School of Design Office of Publications, where he was apprenticed to Cipe Pineles Burtin, a prominent international designer elected to the Art Director's Hall of Fame. Mies received a BFA from The New School for Social Research / Parsons School of Design. He also teaches college-level design.



Frances Hora
Assistant Art Director, Designer, Webmaster

Frances has assisted in the production of each Ultimate Symbol book and CD and gives advice on the website. She attended Hunter College in New York City as an arts major. For 30 or more years beginning in 1970, she worked on various packaging and publication/promotional art projects for companies such as Lee Vitale Design, Inc., Hokrein Studios, Norman Anderson, Hora Associates, and The New School/Parsons School of Design. In the 1980's, working for Milton Glaser, Inc, she was production coordinator on the redesign of the Grand Union supermarket chain. Later, in addition to being president of Bayard Hora Associates, Inc, which gave courses in business and personal management, she designed their NY office and course spaces and taught some of the courses. Volunteering as executive director of a non-profit organization, she maintains their website, CureDrive.org, and designs their books and CD.



Richard Hora
Designer, Illustrator and Co-Author of Design Elements - A Visual Reference books.

Richard was chief consultant to the creation of Design Elements by Ultimate Symbol. He has had a long and distinguished career in packaging, interior and product design. He served as Art Director in such firms as Georges Wilmet, Raymond Loewy, Miles Grove and Lee Vitale Associates. Richard taught design at the college level. He has many accomplishments in the arts including architecture, painting, sculpture, ceramics and stained glass, all of which he creates masterfully.



Seymour Chwast
Illustrator, Designer

Seymour's award-winning work has influenced two generations of designers and illustrators. Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser and Edward Sorel founded Push Pin Studios in 1954. The studio rapidly gained an international reputation for innovative design and illustration. He is a recipient of the AIGA Medal, is in the Art Directors Hall of Fame and has an honorary Ph.D in Fine Art from the Parsons School of Design. His work is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other major museums around the world. Chwast has exhibited and lectured widely.



Cori Novak
Chief Financial Officer

Cori supervises operations, finance, staffing, marketing and distribution and collaborates on product development. She has years of experience working as an Administrator in a leading national telecommunications company as well as a major sports franchise.



Ryan Mazurek
Design Assistant

Ryan has a BA in Graphic Design, is working on a Masters in Art Therapy and has worked in the magazine industry at Conde Nast Publications.