The industry is full of creative talent, and there is nothing better than to watch your very own emerge as a rising star amongst some of the best and brightest. We are proud to announce that Chute Gerdeman’s Design Director, Jeff Wietrzykowski, has been chosen by VMSD to be part of the magazine’s sixth annual Designer Dozen awards.
Each member of this group has the talent, drive, and innovation that will be necessary to move this industry forward. The twelve up-and-coming designers recognized this year come from leading design firms and retail organizations across the country including Chute Gerdeman, Kit and Ace, Tumi, and more.
As a Design Director, Jeff helps lead the Brand Environments team in defining the visual positioning for a brand, translating the brand into an environment through spatial planning, renderings and material selection. He believes all design is applied problem solving and no matter the size of the challenge or what discipline it falls under, his design solutions are used to create memorable experiences for all end users. He inspires studio teams with his ability to foresee unique and creative brand experiences that push the boundaries of retail. Always focused on what’s next, Jeff is able to collaborate and communicate his exceptional solutions and see them through to realization.
Working closely with brand strategy, visual strategy and brand communications teams, Jeff brings every discipline’s expertise to the forefront, understanding that the richest rendering and most effective design has an underpinning of solid thinking, storytelling and compelling merchandising and concise communications to enrich the final solution.
Jeff’s forward thinking and solution based skills have allowed him to help bring new ideas to clients including, Shinsegae’s new brand Toy Kingdom, Verizon Destination Stores and Smart Stores, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Mars Retail Group Flagships, Universal Studios, Food Lion Prototypes, Sweetwater Sound Flagship Store, and Stripes & Laredo Taco concepts.
This is the fourth time a Chute Gerdeman associate has been included in this prestigious list, as Jeff joins Mary Klie, Michael Munchoff, and Mary Lynn Waite. Profiles of The Designer Dozen will appear in VMSD’s April issue and the winners will be recognized at an event held later this year. Congratulations to Jeff and the 2017 Designer Dozen.