UCllc co-founders, Armin Vit and Bryony Gomez-Palacio. Scroll down for individual bios.

Photos by Adam Moroz

Established in 2007, we are a graphic design firm generating our own projects, initiatives, and content while taking on limited client work.

Since 2002 we have been publishing content online, starting with the design blog Speak Up, that ran through 2009 and was one of the most active, entertaining, and well-regarded blogs, even earning a spot in the Cooper-Hewitt’s National Design Triennial in 2006 — the only blog included in the exhibition. Our most popular blog, Brand New, was launched in 2006 and has grown to be the leading site for opinions on logo and identity redesigns with a readership of over 1.25 million page views a month and, like its predecessor, it was also the only blog included in Graphic Design: Now in Production, co-organized by the Walker Art Center and Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Active blogs in our network include Art of the Menu, FPO (For Print Only), and Quipsologies. Other blogs have come and gone in the years in between.

We’ve been tinkering with events that bring people together to hear from our industry’s best since 2003, when we hosted Rick Valicenti in our own small apartment in Chicago through seriouSeries or with our brief run of Opposites Attract done in collaboration with the Art Directors Club in New York. We found our calling starting in 2010, with the annual Brand New Conference, an event on corporate and brand identity with some of today’s most active and influential practitioners from around the world that has grown from one day to two days and from an audience of 450 to 1,000. In 2018 we launched First Round, a one-day showcase of original presentations made to clients showing initial design explorations for logo, identity, and branding projects that has taken place over a dozen times in different cities. We also organized smaller events in Austin (home to our headquarters from 2009 to 2017) since 2014 through our Austin Initiative for Graphic Awesomeness.

Having had the opportunity to create three books through traditional publishers — The Word It Book, Women of Design, and Graphic Design, Referenced — we’ve since moved on to explore self-publishing, starting with Flaunt, our book on how to create a great portfolio. This led to self-publishing the winners of the Brand New Awards and FPO Awards, a set of competitions that ran from 2010 to 2013. For two years we also published UC.Quarterly, a small-run publication that captured the best content from our blogs. Needless to say, we love making things for others to enjoy.

We are a small team, so small that we all fit in the photo above. Everything that comes out of UnderConsideration is done by the two of us. If there is a website to code, we code it. If there is a book to be printed, we design it, spec it, and get it done. If there are dozens of flights to be booked for speakers, we go online and book them. If there is a paper jam in the printer, we un-jam it. We work hard. We work fast. We do the best we can.

Armin Vit

Born and raised in Mexico City, Armin Vit is a graphic designer and writer now living in Bloomington, IN. He is co-founder of UnderConsideration, a graphic design firm generating its own projects, initiatives, and content while taking on limited client work. Although he has written for most well-known design publications he is most recognized for his writing on the blogs that make up the UnderConsideration online network—particularly Brand New, the popular blog for opinions on corporate and brand identity work. Along with his wife and partner, Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Armin has co-authored various books for publishers and for UnderConsideration and has organized multiple design events, including the annual Brand New Conference and First Round. Previously, Armin worked at the New York office of Pentagram and his professional experience stretches back to 1999. Since then he has become a regular speaker and juror in events and competitions around the world. When not working, he is either out for a run or washing the dishes.

Bryony Gomez-Palacio

Born and raised in Mexico City, Bryony Gomez-Palacio is co-founder of UnderConsideration, a graphic design firm generating its own projects, initiatives, and content while taking on limited client work. Over the last two decades Bryony has managed the behind the scenes of various blogs and design sites co-created with her husband and partner Armin Vit, including Brand New and In-House In-Focus. The unrelenting partnership led to the publication of five books, including Graphic Design Referenced, and the self-published Flaunt: Designing Effective, Compelling and Memorable Portfolios of Creative Work. In 2010 the Brand New Conference, a two-day event on corporate and brand identity with some of today’s most active and influential practitioners from around the world, was created. This event further enabled the exchange of knowledge within the design community at large, now bridging online and offline through Brand New the blog, and The Follow-Up podcast. Most recently, they conceived First Round, a one-day showcase of original presentations made to clients showing initial design explorations for logo, identity, and branding projects that takes place every few months in a different city. From admin work, to hand-made materials, to interviews, and every other task in between Bryony dives deep with great passion for what she does, she simply loves it so. When not at the office Bryony can be found traveling, judging, speaking, running workshops, or enjoying coffee with a new acquaintance.