We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Philip-Michael Weiner ("PW").
I am an award-winning company builder and creative director who has spent the last decade working and growing some of the most impactful products in food, technology, and consumer products. Since starting my first company in 2007, I’ve led teams of designers, engineers and collaborated with companies of all sizes worldwide to grow their business through behavior changing, meaningful and enduring design. In 2008, my father to diabetes, a moment which spurred a personal pivot from technology to healthy, homegrown food through a company called UrbnEarth. I have designed initiatives for some of the most enduring brands like Virgin, Virgin Galactic, and even Richard Branson's personal projects as well as developing products for the most disruptive startups in Silicon Valley. My products have been showcased at the Museum of Design in Barcelona and revered in books like 99 Designs for Life. Ventures I've worked on have reached profitability, raised over $80M+ and have been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, NPR, and The Washington Post among others. I am also a recipient of the A Design Award and Dwell Magazine's Design Materials Awards. I balance my client work and day job with personal creative work like songwriting and mentoring junior designers. I am also an active angel investor and brand advisor to numerous consumer companies. Based in Oakland, I work both remotely and lead design teams in client locations.
Philip-Michael Weiner Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Philip-Michael Weiner.
Designer Interview of Philip-Michael Weiner:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
PW : I hail from a long line of designers. My grandfather, Verdun Cook, is my design hero. He was a typographer, photographer, and also an animator in the early days of television. He became famous for his work with Motown artists and his iconic design of the I Love Lucy heart title sequence. My mother took after him and attended Pratt at 16 years old. She’s been an artist and graphic designer for 60 years. When I was young, I studied acrylic and oil painting at the Corcoran School of Art then divulged into music. The best advice given to me was not to study design at university because it was already inside of me. All I had to do was sharpen my eye. I always had an interest in brand development so instead studied economics and math at the University of Maryland. Economics laid the foundation for my understanding of positioning, cultural tension, and consumer behavior. Since then my design education has been shaped by experiences, failures, pain, joy, and observation.I now build brands and products – both tactile and digital. I started off my career by failing at starting companies until I succeed. Now I’m on number 5. I’ve won many awards, have many leather bound books, I’ve been fortunate to work on some fantastic products and collaborate with some of the fascinating entrepreneurs on making the world more livable and equal through design.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
PW : I run a different breed of design studio. We focus on helping entrepreneurs position, scale and launch new products.
DI: What is "design" for you?
PW : Design is simply applied art. It is a way to solve problems for organizations using colors, typography, images, and materials.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
PW : I would like to design more experiences and build artist brands. I love the way in which you can inspire, motivate, and induce calm or happy (or other!) states with physical experiences. Designing in the physical world could help people decompress from addictions we have, particularly to screens.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
PW : My favorite design is the identity I crafted for Richard Branson’s 100% Human at Work initiative. This piece led to real world impact. For example, Salesforce.com adjusted salaries to ensure there was equal pay parity – ultimately my highest impact ROI.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
PW : The first thing I designed for a company was a logo DarkHorseCandidates.com. DHC was the first company that I started while attending the University of Maryland.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
PW : This may come as a surprise, but I love designing pitch decks. The process of fundraising is fascinating to me, and I am very good at it. It is one part storytelling and one part fascination. The best thing is watching an investor shift from their analytical mind to their childlike mind when you tell a good story.