Draft:Brian Penry

Brian Penry is an American graphic designer and illustrator and writer who works with pop culture brands. Penry is known for developing style guides or bibles, an official set of guidelines including dos & don’ts, artwork and/or photographic samples, color palettes, etc. Style guides instruct a given entity’s employees, strategic partners and licensees in the correct portrayal and use of that entity’s brand, licensed property or character(s).

Taking a leave of absence from Massachusetts College of Art and Design to freelance at Boston design studios and advertising agencies, Penry opened his own shop soon thereafter in 1972. Among his first projects as an independent designer were logo designs for The Boston Lobsters (World Team Tennis) and Boston’s legendary rock station WBCN 104.1 FM, as well as marketing materials for The Boston Celtics.

Career highlights
During the 1970s and early 1980s Penry established himself as a branding designer and consultant focusing on entertainment and the performing arts. His projects during this period include cover designs for Jonathan Edwards’ LIVE! Album, known for his Gold Record Sunshine, and for Joe Perry of Aerosmith’s Once A Rocker Always A Rocker album.

Infinity Broadcasting and Howard Stern
Penry worked with Infinity Broadcasting Corporation from its inception in the 1970s until and since its initial mid-90’s acquisition by CBS/Westinghouse, and second acquisition in 2000 by CBS/Viacom. Working with founders Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus, Brian designed Infinity’s logo and corporate ID system. Over a 25+ year period Penry worked closely with Wiener (later serving as President & CEO of CBS Radio), and with Infinity President Mel Karmazin (later serving as President & CEO of CBS, and more recently as CEO of Sirius Satellite Radio). Penry designed Infinity’s annual reports, as well as logos, billboards, ad campaigns and marketing materials for the firm’s major market radio stations nationwide—including Infinity’s flagship New York City station, K-ROCK/92.3 FM. Penry also designed ad campaigns and marketing materials for Infinity’s widely syndicated talk radio host, Howard Stern.

World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and WrestleMania
Parallel to his design business, Penry began serving as Creative Director of The World Wrestling Federation in 1984. Penry designed and illustrated the WWF logo, as well as the original WrestleMania™ logo—the basic letter forms of which are still in use over four decades later. Additionally, Penry designed the WrestleMania I, II and III Programs, and the cover of The Wrestling Album for Epic/Sony Records. During his tenure with the WWF, Brian worked closely with the founding McMahon family and with (then) WWF Photographer Steve Taylor. Brian hired and supervised the WWF’s art and creative services department. Penry introduced Jim Johnston, a talented composer to the McMahons, who hired Johnston to produced theme music for the WWF and its wrestlers. Additionally, Penry art directed photography of the entire roster of WWF wrestling stars and celebrity guests of that era including Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper. Other WWF guest personalities for whom Penry art directed photography include (then) New York Yankees Manager Billy Martin, Muhammad Ali, and Liberace. Penry returned to running his own firm full time in 1987, occasionally freelancing for the WWF, and in turn for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) thereafter.

Sonic The Hedghog
In 1991 Brian Penry began working with Arlene Scanlan, who—during her tenure at United Features Syndicate—developed the licensing programs for Charles Schultz’ Peanuts and Jim Davis’ Garfield characters. Arlene’s (then) firm A.J. Scanlan & Company contracted with Sega of America to license Sonic The Hedgehog, Sega’s flagship video game character. Sonic quickly gained popularity in the gaming world, dominating Nintendo with 65% market share, while generating major interest from licensors. However, there wasn’t yet an official Sonic style guide to ensure the correct usage and portrayal of the character. Arlene Scanlan recommended Penry to Sega of America, which hired him in 1993 to design, illustrate and write/edit the original, authorized Sonic The Hedgehog Style Guide. Members of the Sega of America team with whom Penry worked closely included Bob Harris, Art Director; Dianne Drosnes, Director of Licensing; and Cynthia Wilkes (now Cynthia Modders), Vice President of Licensing. Over the course of the process Wilkes nicknamed Penry “Sonic’s Dad.” Others involved in approving and requisitioning the style guide included Michaelene Cristini, VP of Licensing and Character Development, and the late Tom Abramson. Additionally, Yuji Naka, one of the three co-developers of the Sonic The Hedgehog video game series and media franchise was consulted during the process. Penry’s Sonic The Hedgehog Style Guide included guidance for two ancillary characters: the evil Dr. Robotnik; and Sonic’s sidekick, Miles ‘Tails’ Prower—known simply as Tails. Although such digital tools as Illustrator and Photoshop were available, Penry opted to render Sonic’s full color style guide illustrations conventionally, then digitally enhanced them. Penry first penciled each color illustration, then had a freelance airbrush artist render layers of background color. Brian then finalized the detailing with an extremely fine brush using casein and gouache paints. Penry also inked the Sonic style guide line art by hand. In 1994 the style Guide was distributed to Sonic licensees and strategic partners. As a “preferred vendor” to Sega, Penry created product art, packaging designs, puzzle artwork, promotional materials and a children’s book for Sonic licensees including Coca-Cola, Mattel, Thermos, Milton-Bradley, DSI Toys (now defunct), Nikko Japan, Campbell’s Soup and Western Publishing/ Golden Books—among several others.

Later on, Penry created artwork for ancillary Sonic characters Knuckles and Sally. He also illustrated several GamePro and SWATPro magazine covers depicting Sonic with Tails and Knuckles.

Carmen Sandiego
In 1995, also at licensing agent Arlene Scanlan’s recommendation, Brian Penry designed the original, official style guide for Carmen Sandiego™—the popular, educational TV and e-game series co-developed by Brøderbund Software and WGBH-TV, Boston. Working primarily with Christine Orlando at Brøderbund’s Novato, CA headquarters, Penry created line art and color renderings of the Carmen Sandiego character to strengthen her (then) Film Noir look and feel, and revised the Carmen Sandiego logo to reflect that style. In addition to developing color guidance, dos & don’ts, and outlining all aspects of this licensed property, Brian also created artwork of Carmen’s comparatively large cast of ancillary characters for the style guide. Penry also created packaging designs and marketing materials for Carmen Sandiego licensees including University Games, Wendy’s, and Quaker Oats/Life Cereal among others.

Other projects
Brian Penry is known for his work in the performing arts, as well as in various industries, market segments and cause related initiatives, including the following:


 * In 1991 Brian designed the logo and tour book for Moscow’s Bolshoi Opera and Ballet world tour, as well as a world tour book for The Royal Ballet of London.
 * Penry worked closely with Special Olympics throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, designing the commemorative logo for the organization’s 1993 25th Anniversary, the official logo for Special Olympics’ Penguin Plunge annual fundraising events, the program for an event honoring long time Special Olympics supporter Susan Saint James, and Spencer The Whale—Official Mascot of The 1995 Special Olympics World Games.
 * Brian has designed branding, websites and fundraising materials for various, non profit organizations and cause related initiatives in Mississippi, South Africa, Kenya and Cambodia.
 * Beginning in 2001 Penry designed a series of marketing materials and posters for Carnegie Hall Artists in Residence, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra—and for Orpheus’ guest performers including Branford Marsalis and Itzhak Perlman.
 * Others of Brian Penry’s design, branding and/or licensing clients have included Perrier, Sony (various divisions), Home Improvement/Tool Time Toys, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Mount Sinai Medical Center (NYC), NYU/Langone Medical Center, and The Van Gogh Museum (Netherlands).

Penry worked with licensing agent Arlene Scanlan for over two decades, during which her firm name evolved to the present Moxie & Co. Brian worked closely with Arlene on projects for her various clients including The World Wildlife Fund, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Simon & Schuster’s classic properties The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, New York City’s Metropolitan Transit System (MTA) and World Wildlife Fund, among many others. Arlene has since become a Tony Award winning Broadway producer.

Literary and musical pursuits
Apart from his work as a designer/illustrator, copy writer and web developer, Brian Penry is active in several other creative pursuits. Brian was a contributing writer of the Amazon Best Seller on collaboration, 42 Rules for Creating WE (2009), edited by the late business author and management consultant, Judith E. Glaser, Foreword by Angela Ahrendts (former SVP, Apple Retail; formerly CEO, Burberry).

Penry edited, wrote the Foreword for, and designed the cover of, Letters from the Ground to the Heart by Anne Thomas (2011), all proceeds from sales of which benefit survivors of northern Japan’s catastrophic Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.

Penry is currently working on a book about branding and his experiences in music and entertainment. Brian is also a singer/songwriter, lyricist and music producer.