About Beehive Design Studio

Beehive Design Studio has been in business in Sonoma County since 1998 and is owned and operated by me, Brenda Phillips. I believe that my business is distinct among design firms because I stay away from cookie cutter designs. Instead, the goal of each of my designs is to pinpoint, capture and express the unique message and qualities of my clients.

 

About Brenda Phillips

I believe people are shaped by their experiences. That’s certainly been true for my clients and it’s no less true for me.

I attended both USF and the Academy of Art College in San Francisco and graduated from both magna cum laude with a BA in Graphic Design. I worked my way through college as a color specialist at a crystal and porcelain restoration studio called Venerable Classics. I had long been drawn to detail and at Venerable Classics, I worked on restoring an amazing array of artwork from European porcelain to Tang dynasty sculptures to rare pieces of “forbidden art” so-called because the work was so intricately detailed that during it's original creation the painters often went blind. It wasn’t possible to work on those pieces full time, day in and day out. They had to be put aside and returned to later. It often took years to finish a piece.

Next, I worked for a very productive design firm in San Francisco that specialized in employee communications for large corporations. The firm was small enough that my responsibilities were large; I worked on projects as a designer, often working with an art director and the client, and managed a large stable of freelancers. The work showed me what the corporate world expected, which among other things was attention to detail with a “we needed it yesterday” attitude from every client. The time expectations couldn’t have been more different from Venerable Classics, but both positions taught me that it takes people working together harmoniously with one end goal to accomplish successful design and restoration.

In those years came marriage and children and eventually I took up freelancing and became a co-owner in a successful tech solutions corporation. That experience left an indelible impression on me; I learned what it meant to be a small business owner from the inside and that is likely why I have such empathy and respect for what my clients accomplish on a daily basis.

Attention to detail. Certainly that’s been one of the constants throughout my career. And dedication, too; both my own and the dedication of the people I design for. We’re all trying to bring something good into the world through our labor; something lasting; something we can be proud of. I’d like to think I’ve done my small part to further their success. I’m grateful for the large part they’ve played in mine. 


Also, I love to hike, backpack, garden, dance to live music, and create things. I volunteer at Redwood Adventure Camp and am Vice President of the Sonoma County Executives Association. I also participate in GoLocal.