I've been lucky to work with Brenda directly when she was the AIGA Chicago design lead. In fact, when I was President of the Chicago chapter, I asked Brenda to lend her expertise to the org. I have know Brenda for years and knew she could cut through all the red tape of a big org and bring the best, most visually interesting ideas forward. But, its Brenda's gift for people that makes her so great. She invited me to participate in The Corkin's Exchange, a week-long design retreat for designers, business creatives and entrepreneurs. Our arrival in a small camp in New Mexico was perfect. Our rooms were so personal and well appointed with the best local and hip things that made us feel at home. The events during the week were ambitiously curated for our hungry visual brains. Brenda is a true creative spirit. She is talented, positive and has the best taste. But, my favorite thing about Brenda is her natural, effortless love for making beautiful things happen.
Alisa Wolfson, EVP Head of Design / Leo Burnett Chicago
I’ve had the fortunate experience of working with Brenda for the last five years to design a yearly site-specific experience for a select group. Her attention to detail, exhaustive research and thoughtful understanding of how people experience and appreciate things added a tremendous value to the co-created space and event. She’s an incredible communicator, collaborator and leader. She infuses every design choice with exuberance and rises to every challenge with optimism. She’s a tastemaker and designer in the truest sense of the word: she possesses a clear aesthetic that she holds with a creative openness to adapt to different environments and contexts. Each season, I look forward to all the new finds that she incorporates to enhance the experience.
Terence Mickey, Communications Expert and Founder of The Listening Booth
Brenda has a contagious energy that makes everyone around her feel uplifted, inspired and unstoppable. She has the rare talent of generating great ideas while listening to and being excited about ideas from the Designer. She also has a knack for knowing when to step in for help and knowing when to step aside. Apart from creative direction, Brenda's award-winning designs and unwavering fortitude complete the perfect package.
Kim Knoll, Partner & Creative Director / Knoed Creative
Brenda’s talent and skill as a designer go well past creating exceptional visual expressions of brand experiences (be they products, services or environments). What sets her apart is her empathy - her ability to go deep into understanding human experiences and manifest them as exceptional design outcomes. She’s changed the game in the packaging, curation and consistency of luxury brands and brought a rich sense of humanism and connection to numerous products and environments from restaurants and consumer packaged good to service organizations and retail environments. I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Brenda numerous times and not only has the process been rewarding but clients feel “heard” and literally fall in love with solutions that are on-strategy, memorable and beautiful!
Jim Cohen, Business Sherpa, Mentor, and Lecturer
I absolutely loved working with Brenda! She is that rare gem; funny, smart and exceptionally talented. Most importantly, Brenda really listened to me and helped to shape my thoughts and ideas so that I was never in doubt about what I wanted from our collaboration. Brenda is more a guru than a guide, working with her allowed me to develop and understand my own business better as a result. Truly awesome!
Joe Plummer, Founder / Gotta Kid to Feed
Brenda's creative vision knows no bounds. During our six years working together, I was continually amazed by her ability to translate even the roughest, obscure ideas into visual works of art. Her creative process is both thoughtful and thorough, balancing the requests of her clients with her design expertise. Beyond her technical skills, she is a joy to be around-- always smiling, always positive, and always bringing her "can-do" attitude to her work. She has been an inspiration to me during my career.
Jen Brush, Director of Product Development / Vosges Haut-Chocolat
Brenda is a sensational designer in every way. I love that she is strategic, brought absolute magic to the look and voice of our brand, advised me when I went off strategy or off course, helped me navigate suppliers/production, and always appreciated the company's budget constraints. On top of it all, Brenda is a dream to work with - the best part of my day was talking to Brenda! I can't recomend her highly enough.
Ruth Frantz, Founder / Henri's Reserve Champagne
For over 15 years, I’ve worked with Brenda on numerous projects for a variety of clients in multiple industries. I have yet to meet another designer that marries her level of innate talent with hardworking dedication and gracious humility.
Brenda is multi-faceted and succeeds in a wide range of situations, injecting her design sensibility into all she does. Because she has honed a process that begins with understanding the DNA of a brand, she is extremely versatile in her ability to deliver a variety of styles and experiences. Numerous times, I’ve engaged with her at a strategy level and observed how she works with others, serving as a catalyst to elevate thinking and facilitating collaboration toward common, well-communicated goals.
Caroline Lubbers, Founder and Principal Thinker / Goldfish Consulting, Inc.
Brenda Bergen is a rare find in the service industry. There is no one else I would rather work with for any of my branding or graphic needs. She really listens to what we are looking for, and continually surprises us with her ability to push the envelope. Brenda makes the entire design process fun, and brings so much energy and enthusiasm to every project. She is not afraid to challenge us and to dig deep to ensure she has a full understanding of the essence of our project. When we have a project with Wink Design, we know that our vision will be expressed in everything that is created, and that it will of course, be beautiful!
Julie Fisher, Partner / fc STUDIO inc
Brenda welcomed me to an innovation and art retreat she hosted in the mountains of northern New Mexico in 2018. Her confidence and openness helped create a social environment for all us creatives that was collaborative, fruitful and just fun. Brenda’s keen sensitivity to her materials and her audience gave us each the sense that the entire experience—all the objects we encountered, all the conversations we had, all the vistas we were gob-smacked by—were thoughtfully organized to comfort and delight each one of us. Brenda has a way of coaxing everyone’s strengths out—and of knitting all those strengths together.
Rachelle Rojany, Artist