Though Three Bears Design began as a joint effort of three friends to do design work and graphic illustration projects for friends, the Akron-based company has since grown into much more. Now being touted as a creative collaborative existing at the intersection of graphic design, narrative illustration and contemporary culture, particularly music, two of original founders Charlie Wagers and Adam Baker have since been joined by artists Cheryl Andrey and Keith Lonya.
All three share an emphasis on relationships and the belief that friendly engagement is vital to the creative process. Prior to beginning Three Bears Design, Wagers and Baker created artwork on their own, working with bands, musicians and others.
“In coming to know one another as friends, we realized that our individual portfolios, if combined, actually served as a pretty impressive roster of quality, diverse, and eclectically unique work,” Wagers said. “We knew that our personalities meshed well already as friends, and with each of us already appreciating the other’s creative abilities, it was only natural that we should try to work together.”
While Baker has a mild obsession with photographic imagery, particularly portraiture, mug shots and candid street scenes from the mid-1890s through the late 1930s — not to mention late ’50s to mid-’60s fashion — Wagers’ style expresses more of a vintage focus, drawing inspiration from older printing techniques, vintage cameras and films.
“I join in Charlie’s enjoyment of the hunt for vintage inspiration, and haunt antique stores as I’m able.” Baker said. “I’d also say that the music I’m listening to profoundly affects the direction of my illustration, although I’m not certain that there’s an identifiable rhyme or reason to it.”
Change came when Three Bears Design realized that they were no longer creating work for friends but also a whole slew of artists they had grown to admire over the years.
“To be solely drawing and designing for your good buds one day and then to look up the next, realizing that almost all of the projects on your list were for people you’ve never even met in person,” Wagers said. “It’s a humbling, exciting series of aha! moments when that happens, particularly when you’ve made it a point to never advertise your services, preferring the word-of-mouth approach to engaging prospective clients/friends.”
That list includes diverse names, from a local hospital to nationally-recognized musicians.
“We’re very proud of the clientele we’ve had the opportunity to work with,” said Baker — a clientele that includes Akron Children’s Hospital, Microsoft, “American Idol” star Kris Allen and even rockers The Fray. Canton’s newest music venue, The Auricle, is also among their clients; their stylized gryphon logo came from the Three Bears studio.
While the company originally began as a part-time gig for all those involved, it has matured into something so much greater than they could ever imagine.
“Now we’re a company that easily offers one of us full-time hours and the rest as-needed part-time creative work, all while artistically meeting the needs of our favorite musicians, internationally-recognized companies and individuals we respect and admire,” Wagers said. “I’d say that’s a lot of encouraging change.”
Three Bears Design uses a variety of non-digital mediums, including cut felt & fabric, pen and ink, pencil and charcoal, watercolor, acrylic, oil paint, collage and photography.
“For many of us, classical forms of making art were foundational in lassoing us into a lifelong interest in creative expression, hence a remaining preference for them,” Baker said.
While collaboratively the company is in the early phase of working on a new webstore for Cleveland record store Music Saves, individually each artist is keeping busy. Wagers was contacted by Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit to create a gig poster for their Cleveland show this month, their only US headlining solo date during their recent tour with labelmates Death Cab for Cutie. Andrey’s buying a house, Konya just had another son and Baker is prepping for a cross-country move to advance his education.
It is no surprise to discover that education is the backbone for their continued creative endeavors.
“Throughout all of our educational experiences, we found that constructive critique, when employed with the intent to mutually benefit and better the creative processes of all involved, was a hugely encouraging thing,” Baker said. “True creativity is far less about glorifying a singular artist, and far more about the inspiration that an artist’s creations can provide to other budding artists and thinkers.”
As Three Bears Design grows, the team hopes that their future allows them to continue what they are doing now.
“We’d like to be able to afford better cameras, computers, printing equipment and more as we move along,” Baker said. “If we could continue to be able to gradually make this happen as the years move by, I think we’ll be pretty happy.”
Check out Three Bears Design at threebearsdesign.com.
