Meet Brent McMahan of Path Studio in The Design District

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brent McMahan.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Brent. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I graduated from The University of North Carolina Charlotte with a degree in Graphic Design and Sculpture. I started my first design shop in Charlotte when I was 21 years old. I moved to Dallas in the early 90’s where I worked for a few design firms including Focus 2 and Sibley Peteet. I broke into the web in 94 or 95 when it was just starting up. I designed sites for a while and then I discovered that content was what I really love to produce.

Path Studio was started in 2001 with the idea of creating impactful content and design work for our clients.

Named after my son, Casen Path McMahan.

I consider myself a design generalist. I like to keep learning new skills so that I can communicate my clients’ messages in interesting ways. I create animations, illustrations, photography and video. I have designed logos, collateral, annual reports, restaurant concepts, signs and objects. I write scripts and even songs for my animations and video work. Recently I have set up a forge where I am learning how to be a blacksmith. I’m not sure how or if that will work into my graphic design work but it is an exciting arrow in the quiver.

My primary studio is in the design district, but I am working on an off grid studio an hour down a 4-wheel drive road in the desert of Big Bend, just a few miles outside of the national park. I mostly do the video, animation and photography at the Dallas studio. I build my restaurant signs for Rusty Taco (R Taco since Buffalo Wild Wings bought them) and do a lot of concept work out in the desert. Soon, I hope to have the desert studio set up so cinematographers and photographers can use that amazing place for photo and video shoots. It’s off grid with solar power and trucked in water, but we have fiber optics running to the place with internet speeds faster than much of Dallas.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The economy is always a factors in my business. In Charlotte I mostly did work for banks and S&Ls. When the bottom fell out of that market, I redefined who I was as a designer and kept on moving. As annual reports started going away I started making web versions. In the early 2000’s I was doing a lot of work with Herman Miller and companies that were supporting the .com boom. When that ended I made adjustments to the type of work I was producing and kept on moving.

I have also learned a lot of technology that is no longer relevant. I never saw this as a waste of time, just an exploration into a different way of thinking. I now know how to research and develop a concept so I can tell my clients story no matter what the subject.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Path Studio – what should we know?
Path studio is a multidisciplinary graphic design studio, started in 2001 with the idea of producing interesting and beautiful content for a host of awesome clients.

We push paint and pixels, hammer nails and D strings, choreograph product launches and the movement of video graphics with the same enthusiasm. Areas of expertise include: brand identity, motion graphics, interactive design, print design, information graphics, creative direction, photography and video.

The body of work includes content, animations and interactive work for national accounts like: INTUIT, Pepsi, Herman Miller, Dannon, Frito-Lay, Chili’s, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Harrod’s, American Airlines and Shiner Beers.

I have designed branding and print work for Zales, Rusty Taco, TXU, Boy Scouts of America, Texas Land and Cattle, LoneStar Steakhouse, Trader Vic’s, Shiner Beers, The Beverly Hillbillies, Nortel, Samsung, Nokia and a bunch of others.

I think the thing that sets Path Studio apart from the others is that we stay current with technology and apply old school skills like drawing, thinking and storytelling to our projects.

One project that I will always be proud of is that I designed the Boy Scout Handbook back in the late 90’s. Five or six of the best design firms were competing for the project and they went with me.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have worked with some great people along the way. Todd Hart and Shawn Freeman of Focus 2 and photographer Phil Hollenbeck were huge influences and friends. Don Sibley of Sibley-Peteet believed in me to carry them into the world of new media. Peter Bell has been a collaborative, creative partner that has endured though the years. And Marolyn Locke, content producer, life partner and cheerleader has promised to stick with me forever.

Contact Info:

• Address: Path Studio
  1210 E. Levee Street
  Dallas, Texas 75207
• Website: pathstudio.com
• Phone: 214.577.4315
• Email: info@pathstudio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/pathstudio
• Facebook: facebook.com/pathstudio

Image Credit:
Brent McMahan

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.