IT Staff Spotlight: Susan Brand

Susan Brand is a Graphic Designer in the IT Creative Services group at Berkeley Lab. She has collaborated with staff across the Lab to craft a portfolio of beautiful, high-quality visual communications resources since 2013. After 9 years at the Lab and over 40 years working in the design industry, Susan is moving forward and retiring on June 23, 2022. Continue reading to view highlights from her body of work and what she’ll miss most about the Lab.

Celebrate retiree Susan Brand, Graphic Designer at Berkeley Lab.

What is your background and what inspired you to pursue graphic design?

My background is in fine art. I have a masters in printmaking (lithography) from SF State. But as we all know, making a living as a fine artist is challenging and graphic design was an alternative that I enjoyed, as it uses many of the same skills. I’ve taken a few courses over the years, but I really learned on the job. I was a senior art director at Wells Fargo for 13 years and then started my own design firm, Brand Design. I’ve worked with many different clients — corporate, businesses, non-profits, schools, and cities — many great projects and people over the years.

What are your favorite aspects of working at the Lab?

The people and the science! I really had no idea what went on at Berkeley Lab before I started working here and it has been so inspiring. Working with the Creative Services team has really been great as well as our clients. I’ll miss all of that.

Knowing that the work I have supported through design is making a difference in the world is very gratifying.
Susan Brand, Graphic Designer

Do you have examples of the work you’ve produced?

Some highlights… The NERSC supercomputer murals: Cori and Perlmutter. Strategic plans/annual reports for Physical Sciences, JGI, NERSC. The IDEA identity and collateral including slides, Zoom background, and banner. Websites and collateral for the Molecular Foundry and Workforce Development & Education. Graphics for the shuttle buses. And many, many other projects!

Installation of the decorative panels on the exterior of the computer cabinets for the Perlmutter NERSC-9 a customized HPE Cray EX supercomputer which was named after Berkeley Lab’s Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter, at the National Energy Sciences Research Computing Center (NERSC), at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, 05/26/2021. — The Perlmutter NERSC-9, an HPE Cray EX supercomputer named after Berkeley Lab’s Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter, at the National Energy Sciences Research Computing Center (NERSC). (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)

NERSC Cray Cori supercomputer at Wang Hall. (Credit: Marilyn Sargent/Berkeley Lab) — The Perlmutter NERSC-9, an HPE Cray EX supercomputer named after Berkeley Lab’s Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter, at the National Energy Sciences Research Computing Center (NERSC). (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)

Any plans for how to spend your time in retirement?

I’m returning to my roots as a fine artist. Photography, drawing and maybe painting… More tennis, more traveling, long lunches with friends… in France! My continued work as a graphic designer will be limited to a startup called MedChefs, an online healthy eating app, and maybe birthday cards.