UXUS (You Times Us) is a global strategic design consultancy, specialized in retail and hospitality design, architecture and futures research. In 2013, UXUS became part of FutureBrand), a subsidiary of Interpublic Group of Companies, one of the big four advertising holding companies (the others being Omnicom, WPP and Publicis).
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History
UXUS was founded in Amsterdam in 2003 by George Gottl, former Creative Director at Nike and Mandarina Duck, Oliver Michell, former architect at Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture and Erika Gottl, founder of Napa Valley super-luxury wine brand, Merus.
Since 2003, UXUS has grown into a team of over 40 designers and has worked with brands such as Selfridges, Donna Karan, Nike, H&M, Tate Modern, Fast Retailing, Qatar Luxury Group and Absolut.
The firm has gained international recognition for producing emotional design, driven by the philosophy of Brand Poetry – approaching design as “narratives in three dimensions” to create a strong emotional connection between the brand and the consumer.
Principals
Born in Los Angeles, George Gottl is the Chief Executive Officer at UXUS and the former Creative Director at Nike and Mandarina Duck. He is a graduate of Parsons School of Design and winner of the Silver Thimble Award for Excellence (source: Hospitality Design).
Oliver Michell is the Chief Creative Officer and Architect at UXUS. Prior to UXUS, he developed large-scale urban planning projects for Rem Koolhaas at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture. Oliver is a graduate of London’s Bartlett School of Architecture and winner of the Donaldson Medal Award for Excellence in Design by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Awards
UXUS’s work has been recognized by a variety of major international design awards, such as FX Awards for Best Retail and Best Restaurant, Marketing Design Awards for Best Product Launch, SEGD Award for Graphic Design and Vinitaly Award for Packaging. Hospitality Design awarded UXUS with the Wave of the Future Award for Visionary Design Leadership.
Lectures
George Gottl and Oliver Michell often lecture at global design leadership events, including Harvard-sponsored Design Management Institute Conference (DMI) in New York, Microsoft-sponsored DMI conference in Helsinki, Willem De Kooning Academy, Amsterdam Fashion Institute and La Roche College in Pittsburgh.