Meet Brian Bergeron of b-havior in Topanga

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Bergeron.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
From very early on, I knew that I wanted a career in art and design. Growing up in Vermont, I was always painting, drawing and fantasizing about becoming an artist when I grew up. I graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Illustration/Graphic Arts and began my career in NYC, designing gift wrap for a company called Stephen Lawrence. From there, I moved to Boston to begin my career-long work with museums at the Boston Children’s Museum as a graphic designer. At 30 years old, I moved back to NYC to work for The Museum of Modern Art and the MoMA Design Store. I enjoyed ten years working for my favorite art museum before following my heart and moving again to the city of San Francisco.

I worked as a free agent under my business b-havior which led to rich collaborations with Google, Artemide, Soho Design District, Martha Sturdy, Alpha – Kilo Creative, Atout France French Tourism Board, The High Line NYC, Brad Ascalon, and Sotheby’s International to name a few. Living in San Francisco naturally led me to work in tech, and I joined Twitter’s in-house #Studio team as Design Lead. The gorgeous weather and environment of Topanga called to me after four years in SF, so I packed my bags for Los Angeles and later made the move BACK into the museum world, as Creative Director for the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which includes the Natural History Museum in L.A., the La Brea Tar Pits and the William S. Hart Museum. I continue as Design Director and founder of b-havior throughout, working most recently with Emeco, Able Made, and branding for the city of Sturbridge, MA. On a personal note, 2020 has been a big year so far, as I married my partner of 11 years and we saw the birth of our twins this spring, all during COVID lockdown.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I would say that it has been progressive growth, working very hard to get where I am today, with some hiccups and learning moments along the way. For me, the transition from full-time in-house to freelance was a significant challenge for me, but I was awarded the opportunity to flex my creative muscles with many clients, so in the end, a rewarding experience. Chasing for the work is certainly the hard part for me. Also, going from working in non-profit most of my career and then segwaying into tech was certainly eye opening! I really appreciated the speed, innovation and experimentation during my time at Twitter that felt unique to that market. But I also became acutely aware that I thrive in a work environment that has a sense of purpose and gives back to the community in a way that museums only can deliver on. I also look for these opportunities in my client’s work with b-havior.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the b-havior story. Tell us more about the business.
Brian Bergeron is the design principal at b-havior, providing creative direction, graphic design, and photo art direction for established and emerging brands, designers and artists. b-havior develops visual brand voice for clients in retail, hospitality, product design, non-profit, technology and the art world. b-havior is located in Topanga, CA.

Currently, I serve as Creative Director for the Marketing & Communications Department for the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) include the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park/Mid-Wilshire, and the William S. Hart Museum in Newhall.

We protect and share more than 35 million specimens and artifacts, the largest natural and cultural history collection in the western United States. But we also explore the nature and culture that surrounds us today, both in L.A. and the world.

The Natural History Museum (NHM) occupies a special place in Los Angeles: It’s one of L.A.’s oldest cultural institutions, and today, it’s the anchor of an emerging cultural, educational, and entertainment hub in Exposition Park. We show off extraordinary specimens in exhibitions such as Age of Mammals, the Dinosaur Hall, the Gem and Mineral Hall, and our beloved dioramas. But in addition to sharing the history of the planet, we also explore the transformation around us right now: Becoming Los Angeles, the outdoor Nature Gardens, and the Nature Lab look at the relationship between environment and people, past and present, in L.A. In all of these experiences at the museum, whether they’re inside or outside, we’re interested in the intersection of nature and culture—in L.A. and beyond.

Right in the heart of L.A. sits the world’s most powerful gateway to the Ice Age. The asphalt seeps at La Brea Tar Pits are the only active urban fossil dig site in the world. Plants and animals from the last 50,000 years are discovered here every day. Outside, you can watch excavators carve fossils out of the asphalt. Inside the museum at La Brea Tar Pits (established in 1977 as the George C. Page Museum), our staff prepares these discoveries in the see-through Fossil Lab. You’ll see the final result in our exhibitions: extraordinary saber-toothed cats, mammoths, dire wolves, and mastodons, as well as the tiny, but scientifically significant, microfossils of insects, plants, mammals, and reptiles. The Tar Pits help us understand life around Wilshire Boulevard long before we got here, and what lies ahead as climate and habitats continue to change.

A Hollywood legend. A cowboy. William S. Hart may have starred in 1920s silent films, but his lifestyle was anything but quiet—explore his 22-room mansion and 166-acre ranch and you’ll see why. At the William S. Hart Museum, visitors are invited to step into Hart’s wild, wonderful world, strolling through his eclectic home and belongings (dog bedroom included), greeting a herd of wild bison donated by Walt Disney, or hiking through the wildflowers of Hart Park.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I am not sure that luck has played a role in my career growth. Rather, my willingness to take risks, roll up my sleeves to get the work done and my ability to network have afforded me the many opportunities I have had in my career thus far.

Contact Info:

• Website: b-havior.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhavior
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bergeron-a719551

Image Credit:
bhavior_MoMAphotography.jpg photo by Greg Neumaier, bhavior_Twitter.jpg photo by Jon Carmichael

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