Today we’d like to introduce you to Larry Nguyen and Wendy Tuan.
Hi Larry Nguyen and, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Wendy and I have always been “artsy” people — whether it was doodling, drawing comics, or painting murals. Creativity and visual creation have always just been a big part of our identities.
We met as designers at the same fashion company in Downtown LA and have always had a great working relationship. As it turns out, our mutual interests in art and design (and nineties’ Britpop) led to dating, marriage, and, eventually starting Outfit, our branding and graphic design firm!
After about seven years of working in senior design positions (Larry worked as Design and Creative Director, and Wendy as a Senior Lead), we decided to pursue our dream of running our own design studio.
Since 2014, we’ve been building distinct, colorful and bold brand identities for clients big and small including Hallmark Greetings, AB InBev, KitchenAid, The Home Edit and most recently, Insight Editions.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road, though fortunately, we’ve never lacked clients, albeit some years are better than others. From our contacts in the industry and through the magic of co-working, we built our network very quickly and, until recently, never had to do a whole of outbound sales.
Another big struggle is work/life balance. Especially when we had our first child back in 2019 — that was extremely tough, balancing the business and child care. Our second child, a son, was just born a couple of months ago, so it’s even crazier now with a ton of work and double the kids!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Outfit Branding & Design is a Los Angeles-based husband-and-wife studio with a combined over 30 years of design experience. We specialize in helping companies find their voice and stand out from the crowd through bold, visual storytelling. This includes brand strategy, logo design, visual identity, and implementation across print and digital.
What sets us apart is our approach: a potent mix of contemporary visual appeal and detailed, effective strategy supported by efficient, personalized service.
We’ve been featured in Print Magazine, The Dieline, Brand New and Behance, and have been published in books by Gestalten Verlag and Hoaki Books/Promopress.
Our philosophy is to “work hard and be kind”. We continually put our passion and love into every project, and this often means going the extra mile—which is not easy. However, by continually pushing our creative abilities, it allows us to grow and improve. The “be kind” part is important because it exemplifies what we would love to see in business culture: collaborative, supportive, gracious professionalism.
Our mission is to spread good design to make the world not only more beautiful but more meaningful, communicative, and authentic.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
As people, family, friendship and love matter the most. These pandemic years and the birth of our two kids have put a lot of things in perspective, and it’s relationships, memories and everyday moments that make everything in our life and career purposeful and enjoyable.
As designers, a focus on relationships also matters most. What is good design if you’re not creating it for impactful and wonderful companies and clients?
Contact Info:
- Website: weareoutfit.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/outfit_branding/
- Facebook: fb.com/outfitbranding
- Creative Market: https://creativemarket.com/outfitirl
- Other: behance.net/outfitbranding
