Right: Early W|W conference room, featuring TV and VCR.
Bernard Uy
Anti-Corporate
CORPORATE
Bernard Uy is a Carnegie Mellon University communication design graduate and owner of Wall to Wall studios. He's always loved drawing and the visual arts and was able to translate that into becoming a successful designer through his studies at CMU. B. originally applied for engineering programs at multiple institutions, but trasfered within CMU to Design on a whim after his first year and against his parents' wishes after being accepted with a scholarship. After deciding to follow the Communication Design track he began to immerse himself in design work in the school's studios, computer labs, and photo labs, as well as forming an important relationship with Prof. Dan Boyarski.
What do you see as important roles/responsibilities for designers to take in the coming years?
"Become more understanding of the non-design world around you (business, art, community, politics, local/global issues, etc.) The more informed you are, the greater your perspective as a designer with vision can be."
Right: Burgatory resturaunt: brand redesign. Takeaway boxes and logo.
Bernard spent his first two years out of school in a few different design positions. He worked for Herman Miller in Grand Rapids MI before taking a position at Media Five in Honolulu HI and finally returning to Pittsburgh to do freelance work for a few different companies across the city. During his time at Herman Miller B. worked under the creative director at the time, Steve Frykholm, who introduced him to the reality of corporate design. He learned how to navigate communication with corporate executives who were not designers. This was also B.'s first introduction to understanding how a company could successfully create and maintain their own brand.
Wall to Wall started in 1992 when James Nesbitt moved from Boston to Pittsburgh to established a brand design agency with Bernard. They started work for their first client, the Pittsburgh Dance Council and immediately decked themselves out with witty business cards reading
"Call 412.361.3880—Graphic design, illustration, marketing communications, packaging. And remember, there's never a fee until we bill you."
as well as cartoon scientist style monogrammed lab coats to wear while working mostly pro-bono out of B.'s apartment. After 2 years of building whatever client base they could - while still neglecting to properly file taxes or moving to an office space - they hired 2 new employees, Brian Kaiser, their business advisor, and their first intern. They also won 4 AIGA Design Awards, a statistic that seems to grow exponentially year to year. Finally, in 1995 W|W opened their first office in Pittsburgh's Strip District and doubled their design department with 2 new full time designers. After using a satellite space as a temporary design gallery W|W offices began to overflow into that space with clutter in
What piques your curiosity relative to design?
"I am always intrigued by how one can get emotionally attached to a design. A brand. A product. A movie. A digital experience. I am forever trying to find ways to bring emotional currency to our design work (humor, wit, empathy, surprise, delight), because it isn't easy. Good design never is."
1997, and in 1999 they replaced that clutter with a disco ball, 4 more designers, and new clutter. B. and James were both named on Pittsburgh Magazine's first ever "40 under 40" list of influential Pittsburghers in 2000. After over 20 years W|W has a much larger office in Pittsburgh's North Side, a second office in Honolulu Hawaii open since 2005, over 30 employees, at least 3 disco balls, and a WW2 plane. On their 20th anniversary W|W Studios (Pittsburgh and Honolulu offices) won almost 40 of the most prestigious design awards making it seem like B. might have have figured out how to rig the system in W|W's favor.
When Bernard was at school in the late 80's the world was just getting introduced to digital technologies. Over 20 years later the world of design has changed drastically multiple times. W|W, however, has always been able to offer their clients work in whatever medium best suits their project, and has stayed relevant by successfully adopting new technologies. The studio launched their website in 1996 publishing their first corporate slogan,
"Solving Today's Problems with Yesterday's Solutions, Tomorrow."
Dan Boyarski introduced the idea that wit and humor should be a part of successful design work to Bernard during his time at CMU. Not all of B.'s or W|W's work directly highlights how much this is a large part of their design process but B. has ingrained a deep respect of those principles in the working style of W|W that directly enhances the studio's work and sometimes leads to a lighthearted project that inserts laughter alongside successful communication and engagement.
Right: Mob Museum promotional materials.
Bottom: Mob Museum Las Vegas.
Share about yourself and/or design.
"I've learned that it is equally important (if not more so) to be a great presenter of design, as it is to understand why/how you designed something to begin with. We rarely will hire someone at WW if they can't present their work, no matter how great their portfolio appears to be. This is also true because a client will have a hard time approving a design concept (no matter how great), if they can't see why they should approve, like, or even love it. It's also important that my studio collaborators have keen interests and hobbies outside of design. A well rounded person with many creative interests wins over a slick portfolio by a boring person, any day."
ANTI-
Being a CMU Design student myself I get to watch 120 students work. I have varying levels of intimacy regarding their design process and what is going on in their personal life but there is a strong culture of stress, unhappiness, and lack of sleep. Bernard seems to break this mold spectacularly and I am so glad I was able to see past his polished portfolio into the way he lives his life. His instagram bio states
"Brand designer working, playing, daddying, eating & drinking in Hawaii"
every bio I have seen of his includes that magical word playing. I hope that during his time at CMU he was able to live his life with a similar level of playfulness and fun as he seems to do now. I believe he must have, that it is a special part of his identity and I wish others could have at least a fraction of the fun he lets himself have.
