Public Access
Change* is our jam.
A Creative Agency
*
What motivates us is change, but not just for the sake of it.
We aspire to create more meaningful, beautiful, open, joyful, inspiring, culture-rich spaces for people to be their most true selves.
Public Access is a collective of creatives who tell stories, facilitate workshops, and conduct a heartfelt, story-rich form of design research. We care deeply about those we create for, how we do it, and to what end.
If you need ...
to move beyond the same, old, recycled ideas ...
... then we can design
fresh products and services that’ll make even the biggest cynic mouth “wow.”
a cure for non-profit or corporate speak ...
... then we can craft a strategy or vision that’s every bit as expressive as it is informative.
your team to drop its baggage and get along ...
... then we can create engaging workshops that foster vulnerability through laughter and joy.
what you're doing to make more sense to more people ...
... then we can tell stories with authenticity and heart through words, video, audio and photography.
to find out
why your customers aren't customering ...
... then we can conduct human-centered design research with the complex, nuanced, wonderful people you're trying to reach.
humor and delight in this period of existential doom ...
... then we can be friends.
After working with us, you will reach people you never could before.
You will be inspired by those you never knew before.
And you’ll have an experience you won’t forget
... in a good way.
About us
We are your creative partners, hungry to tell stories and bring to life ideas and visions that can change the way people think and feel. Though change can be serious, at the right moments, we bring in humor. It breaks down peoples’ walls, cuts to the truth, and it makes us all laugh — and who doesn’t want that? We are the loveable but flawed characters in the sitcom of life. After something ridiculous happens, we turn to see if there is a camera following us, so we can give a knowing look.
Founded by Zena Barakat, Public Access is a collective of creatives. We bring together a team for the right blend of brilliance, joy, real talk, and cotton candy-flavored creativity for your team.
Work Experience
Our collaborators
Zena Barakat Founder & Creative Director Public Access Zena is endlessly curious, so she’s created a career out of being a professional rabbit hole digger. She is sometimes — but not always — funny. She is inspired by music, film and TV. She used to be an executive design director at IDEO, where she specialized in communications and research. She led IDEO's inclusive design portfolio, working with organizations on their journey to be more inclusive, equitable, and responsible. She also did this work internally at IDEO, as she co-founded the Inclusive Design Collective, a group of designers working to evolve the company's design practices to be more inclusive and equitable. She taught a fellowship on equitable product design at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and a class on innovation for the Design MBA program at the California College of the Arts. Prior to design consulting, Zena worked for over a decade in media, producing videos and documentaries for The New York Times, ABC News, National Public Radio, among others. She created and produced The New York Times' "Modern Love" animated video series, which was nominated for an Emmy. She produced a documentary that premiered at Sundance. And she worked at Apple as a head of video for the Apple News app.
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Tracee Worley Founder & Creative Director, Radical Futures As founder of Radical Futures, Tracee (she/her) uses speculative design to show that another world is not only possible — it’s already happening. Drawing on her diverse background in design, education, and storytelling, she collaborates with communities to envision self-determined futures centered on equity and collective thriving.
Njoki Gitahi Visual Designer A creative director, brand and product strategist, and visual designer based in New York City. Njoki helps organizations define and activate their visions, craft meaningful products and experiences, and beautifully express their identities. She specializes in using visual design as a catalyst for deeper exploration, discovery, and collaboration through every stage of the design process and across a wide range of creative challenges—transforming complexity to clarity, insights into ideas, and reason into resonance.
About you
You are a leader who knows more is possible. You understand the power of creativity and storytelling. You want your team to not just dream about, but experience, the possibility of a different tomorrow.
You want your organization to thrive on new ideas, not be threatened by them. You understand that humor and play are essential to creativity, and to fostering a healthy work culture for productive and happy teams.
Equity and inclusion are core to your values, and designing for it is essential and joyful when nurtured. You are a decent person who cares about others, and you need help creating the innovative culture your organization needs.
You know you can’t achieve what’s possible on your own. We are your creative extended team, inspired by the belief that we can change things for the better, together.
