For many designers, going independent is about reclaiming two things: their time and their creative instincts. But once the commute disappears and the home office is set up, the reality of being a Business-of-One sets in. The high-energy hum of an office gives way to something quieter, more insular.
Brian Liu, a San Diego-based art director and graphic designer who believes a good week should have room for brunch and a weekend getaway, understood that trade-off going in. Like a lot of solopreneurs, he found his own way to make the workday feel less solitary and it comes with a curly red coat and answers to the name Bing Bing.
Betting on Himself
Brian spent years shaping the visual identity of some of the most design-forward hospitality and lifestyle brands in the country, immersing himself in places where atmosphere is as carefully considered as everything else. He’d always freelanced on the side, always known that working independently was something he wanted, but it never felt like quite the right moment.
Then 2020 changed everything. During a time where most people sought the comfort of steady, regular employment, Brian felt the pull to take the leap into going solo. And in that first month he felt something he hadn’t fully anticipated: gratitude. Not relief, not anxiety, just the quiet satisfaction of having finally done the thing he’d been working toward. He already had the relationships and the work to build from. He just needed to go for it.
In the thick of the pandemic and with Bing Bing by his side, DRMWKND was born. The name says something about his philosophy: that the point of working hard is also getting to enjoy your life.
The Studio, Five Years In
The client list now spans luxury hotel groups, wellness brands, and consumer startups. What’s shifted over time is the nature of the work itself. Brian is increasingly drawn to the brand identity side of things, coming in where a company already has some foundation and taking it further. There’s a particular satisfaction in elevating something that’s almost there, finding the thread, whether it’s through web design, packaging or refreshed marketing assets, and pulling it through.
Five years of doing good work has a compounding effect. DRMWKND runs almost entirely on referrals, which is its own kind of freedom. The next chapter is already taking shape in his mind, something bigger, something that reflects everything the studio has grown into. Being his own boss means he gets to decide when and how it unfolds. Like any good creative project, it will become what he makes it.
Building a Community, Not Just a Business
While Brian is rarely designing alone with his co-founder by his side, he’s also fortunate to have a network of close friends who are also business owners and entrepreneurs. They meet for coffee, compare notes on the week, and wrap up every Friday together, trading thoughts on what’s working and talking through what isn’t. For people building something on their own, that kind of ongoing conversation is less of a nice-to-have and more of a lifeline.
For Brian, community isn’t a strategy. It’s how he operates, and it shows up in the way he works with clients too. He stays close, communicates often, treats every project like a collaboration. That’s probably why the referrals keep coming.
The Part That Doesn’t Come Naturally
There’s a version of running a creative studio that looks like pure creative freedom, and then there’s the reality of it. Client work, yes. But also payroll, bookkeeping, tax filings, and the creeping awareness that the back-office is a full job in itself.
Brian is wired for visual problems. The operational side of running a business is a different language entirely, and in the early years, the gap between the two was costing him more than he realized. “I knew that I was paying way more than I should,” he says of those first tax seasons. For someone whose instincts run toward aesthetics and craft, it’s exactly the kind of thing that’s easy to miss until it isn’t.
Finding the right support changed that. For Brian, the value isn’t just in having someone handle the back-office. It’s in having people who are genuinely good at what they do, quick to respond, and patient with the kind of questions that come up when you’re a creative person navigating an ever-changing tax landscape. He has a lot of questions and his Collective support-system has answers.
“Having Collective take care of all of my bookkeeping, my payroll, and my taxes has really taken that weight off my shoulders,” he says. “I can focus on designing and working with my clients.”
Still at It
DRMWKND is still growing. The vibe is still good. Bing Bing’s schedule remains full.
What Brian has built over the last five years isn’t just a portfolio. It’s a business that runs the way he wants his life to run, with room for the clients he wants to work with, the craft he’s spent a career developing, and yes, the weekend.
About DRMWKND
DRMWKND is an independent creative studio founded by Brian Liu, based in San Diego, California. The studio specializes in art direction, graphic design, and brand identity for hospitality, wellness, and consumer brands. Explore their work at drmwknd.com.
About Collective
Collective is the all-in-one back-office platform built exclusively for solopreneurs, from bookkeeping and payroll to business formation and tax filings. Learn more about Collective.
With over eight years in public accounting, Marissa has worked closely with small business owners to navigate tax strategy and compliance. At Collective, she translates complex tax concepts for self-employed individuals into clear, practical content—supporting them on their tax journey so they feel informed, confident, and empowered to make decisions for their business.