Ahoj! If the URL did not give it away, I am Brendan Barry, the designer behind the work and thoughts you see here in my portfolio.
Formerly I led the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Economic Research Department’s Data Visualisation team where I reimagined their visual communications strategy and held responsibility for the design production of the Bank’s century-plus-old magazine, Economic Insights. I focused on information design and data visualisation but I also tackled branding, web design, and editorial design work for the department. I also helped launch the Bank’s Consumer Finance Institute, designing and developing their initial branding and web presence. I also helped out the Board of Governors and got their quinquennial Survey of Finance Companies back on track and launched to great success.
Before that, I was the Head of Design at Euromonitor International, a London-based market research company, where I led a global team of designers that oversaw branding, visual communications, UX design for for both the company website and product, and the odd environmental project.
I completed my art and design education at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where I graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design.
This portfolio reflects some of my work at both employers as well as some of my personal and private design work.
The site also links to my blog coffeespoons.me, which focuses on data visualisation and information design. I try to post every weekday and share work I find either in print or on the web that exemplifies good design or provides a case study as why not to do things.
When I step away from design, genealogy and family history helps keep me going. Part of my family settled and grew up in the small town of Ganister, Pennsylvania. I have been researching the town and how it fits into Rusyn migration from what is today Slovakia into western Pennsylvania. Time permitting, I maintain a site I designed and built to showcase my work in that area: ganisterpa.com.
Another part of my family settled the Connecticut River Valley in western New England. Some of my work in that area has been published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Western Massachusetts Families of 1790, vol. 5. If you happen to be visiting my site for help with genealogy or family history, I invite you to visit my genealogy page.