011: Wendy Quesinberry of AIGA Seattle

From check-in desk volunteer to AIGA Fellow, Wendy Quesinberry has seen it all. Known for her sharp branding work and her knack for cultivating community, she steered AIGA Seattle with a “quality over quantity” mindset, brought design legends to town, and later kept the creative spirit alive through casual happy hours. Along the way, she collected retreat stories involving bottle service mishaps, border-crossing bus trips, and the kind of friendships that only grow from late-night design antics.Key TakeawaysLeadership often starts at the door—Wendy turned check-in duty into chapter presidency.Fewer events, more impact—the power of focused programming over quantity.Retreats build culture—beds as seats, quirky bar tales, and creative rituals stick forever.AIGA is a test lab—board roles let Wendy rehearse big ideas in a little sandbox.Connection heals—her “Happy Hour” created a judgment-free space for reconnection.Design community is worth the ride—even across borders (with Bloody Marys in tow).Episode Chapters01:42 – From check-in desk to president: How volunteering at the door led Wendy to become Membership Chair (2002–2006) and eventually president of AIGA Seattle.  04:02 – Retreat theatrics: Her first leadership retreat in Las Vegas featured a hilarious Doctor Phil-style recap of the year.  05:05 – Letting go is hard: Her final retreat as president was in Miami—she stepped down before the Omaha retreat in 2008.  06:12 – Bottle service chaos: In Miami, the retreat scene included queen-size beds as seating and an awkward bottle-service fiasco that ended in “room parties.”  10:25 – Quality over quantity: Early in her presidency, Wendy trimmed the chapter’s event calendar in favor of fewer, more meaningful gatherings featuring luminaries like Stefan Sagmeister and Marty Neumeier.  12:14 – Hosting visiting design heroes: She’d chaperone guest speakers like Gail Anderson and Louise Fili—taking care of logistics, dinners, and even paying for parking.  16:35 – Starting her studio in a recession: Post-graduation, Wendy launched Q&A during a recession, slowly building a client list from freelancing into a full studio.  18:32 – AIGA as leadership sandbox: She used chapter board roles to experiment creatively and strategically—without risk to her studio.  19:22 – “Creative People Doing Happy Hour”: Born from pandemic-era longing for connection, this relaxed monthly meetup helped rebuild community energy in Seattle.  30:30 – AIGA road trip to Vancouver: Seattle designers rented buses to a conference in Vancouver, wore custom “AIG-EH” tees, and crossed the border quite tipsy. Legend.  About Our GuestWendy Quesinberry is the Principal of Quesinberry & Associates (Q&A), a boutique branding firm in Seattle. With three decades of experience, she has guided major clients like Microsoft, Amazon, UPS, and the Gates Foundation. Wendy served as AIGA Seattle president (2006–2008), directed the 2015 Redesign Awards, and was honored as a 2019 AIGA Fellow. She’s also taught at Cornish College of the Arts and continues to cultivate design community through initiatives like her popular “Creative People Doing Happy Hour.”  FeaturingGuest Wendy Quesinberry, connect on LinkedInHost Erik Cargill, connect on LinkedInHost Rachel Elnar, connect on LinkedInSupport the ShowTheme music: Loose Ends by Silver Ships Plastic OceansProduced by Chapter 2 MediaSubscribe to the Together by Design newsletter for more community-building and podcast episode updatesSponsored by: Able Made, The Original Off Pitch Soccer Style: shop nowSponsored by: Draplin Design Company, check us out!Sponsored by: The People's Graphic Design Archive: browse, contribute, and research