The Best Designer You Don't Know About
A look at the design practice of "industry secret" Eric Wrenn
Good morning everyone, happy Monday. This past weekend I weathered Saturday’s torrential downpour and got some wine at St. Jardim, which I had been dying to try, and dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Minetta Tavern.
I also ran a lot. Currently not training for anything but have found I am in better running condition than ever before in my life. Running in New York has helped me meet a lot of friends and great people. If you want to run, send me an email: jake@jb.studio
The news is boring and slow today, dominated by the Oscars which I do not care about in the slightest. So instead I want to dive into a recent New York Times story covering a lowkey downtown designer responsible for branding and campaigns you’ve definitely seen, and explore the relationship between client and designer.
Meet Eric Wrenn
Eric Wrenn is an NYC based designer who began his career in branding after graduating from Pratt. Wrenn is known for his quiet demeanor, minimalist design sensibility, and laundry list of high-profile fashion and editorial clients including Bode, Martine Rose, and Eckhaus Latta.
His subdued work spans websites, logos, books, magazines, and campaigns. But with such a prolific output and enviable client list, Wrenn maintains a relatively low profile. His design office’s Instagram has less than 10k followers, and Emily Bode was quoted as saying, “Eric feels like an industry secret.”
And for the many artists, designers, and brands contracting Wrenn, his unique approach to ideation is something I am sure they would like to keep secret as well. In a world where design agencies have become increasingly structured, the creative process has become diluted behind a sea of account managers and bullsh*t.
Wrenn’s work with clients is “like a therapy session” according to a former co-worker when he was the design director at Artforum.
The art of designers collaborating with clients to find a true solution to bring their vision to the world is often muddled with complexity and seldom exists in a vacuum anymore. In Wrenn’s case, he’s able to forgo the trend cycle, working directly with clients to fully form their ideas.
He stated, “I help people figure out what they want and then I make that thing for them. I try to help crystallize an idea for someone — an idea that is formed but not quite there.”
Punchy Minimalism
Wrenn’s work is constrained, subdued, and often minimal in execution. For example, his work recreating Bode’s signature logo is clean, precise, and speaks to the brand’s sensibilities without beating them over the head. He also worked on the design for the Bode website.
Wrenn was one of the first designers to work with Eckhaus Latta, initially working on show invites and campaigns for the once-fledgling brand. His work with EL has often skewed into the odd but captivating. He has directed nearly every campaign, including the 2017 promotion featuring couples actually having sex.
His most recent work with the brand features a sparse logo overlay, and juxtaposing close up photos of models, sunglasses, and deer.
I love Wrenn’s design sensibilities and how he is able to captivate the viewer without saying too much. The key to good design is to not over-design, e.g. get in the way of the message by obfuscating with unnecessary design elements. Wrenn is a master of the craft: giving each design exactly what it needs, and nothing more.
About the Writer
Jake Bell is a content marketing and creative strategist based in NYC. He specializes in content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.
To learn more about Jake visit www.jb.studio
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