Eden Elam

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Eden Elam is a strategist and designer who helps founders, visionaries, and artists translate abstract ideas into clear, actionable strategies.

She is the founder of Theory & Stone LLC, a creative consultancy, and Editor-in-Chief of The District Vanguard, a digital magazine spotlighting Black artists and designers in and from the greater Washington, DC area.

She holds an MFA from Parsons School of Design, where her thesis on redesigning the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to improve accessibility for high school students earned a Spark Award in 2025. An ethnographer at heart, Eden draws on firsthand experiences across Washington, DC, New York, Havana, London, and Cape Town to inform work spanning human-centered design, storytelling, behavioral science, and digital media. 

Past clients and chapters have included IFC Films, AIGA DC, Atlantic Media, the NAACP, Human Ventures, the UNHCR, and the Museum of the Moving Image. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of AIGA DC and on the Alumni Council of The New School University.