WDW, INC.
LAKEWOOD RANCH, FLORIDA

It’s been more than 25 years and three studio spaces since the start of Werner Design Werks, but, oddly, the description of our studio hasn’t really changed. Our office is on an average street in the middle of an unpretentious neighborhood in the heart of the Midwest–a place full of practical, sturdy, hardworking things. This environment is not only the backdrop for our studio, but also part of our guiding philosophy. We create designs that work hard for our clients. We build brands that have a story and a personality beyond the shelf. We create ‘living brands’ that evolve and grow. And we believe that for any brand to live up to its promises, it has to be honest and hardworking. Just like the studio that helped create it. We are a small studio. We are passionate designers. We are creative. We are collaborators. We build relationships. We love to be challenged. We are nice to work with. We don’t call ourselves experts in any specific category. Rather we are intensely curious, intuitive consumers and observers of commerce and culture. We use those skills to create consumer affiliations. When we need an expert, we seek out the best and collaborate to achieve amazing results. Sometimes we collaborate to challenge our own intuitions or expand the exploration. Growing up in a large family in a small town in Minnesota, Sharon used creativity as a means of escape from her siblings and as a tonic for boredom. As a kid, Sharon’s favorite pastime was cutting out paper dolls and products from the Montgomery Wards and Sears catalogs. A love of print was developed early on, with Sharon sending away for every piece of free literature anyone would send her. One glorious summer was filled with travel brochures from every part of the country, arriving daily and bursting out of the mailbox. Since then, her love of paper and print has only intensified. Sharon started her career as an intern at Duffy Design Group (now Duffy), enjoying every minute of her 7 years working there. “It was an amazing experience. I learned the essentials of creating and developing authentic brand stories that people care about, whether it was for Jim Beam, Specialized Bicycles or Fox River Paper Company.” Sharon founded Werner Design Werks in 1991, and her passion for creating brands has continued to guide work for clients that include Moet Hennessy, dpHUE, and Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day. Sharon is the co-author and co-creator of a series of children’s books and products, We are storytellers, artists, and designers. We understand that every brand has a unique personality and its own story to tell; we explore, craft and cultivate that story with honesty, integrity and originality. We combine strong visual language with informed design solutions to create work that not only positively impacts commerce, but also transforms culture.