Meet Your New Neighbors: Belyea Graphic Design

After 19 years in the same downtown Seattle building, the graphic design firm Belyea moved to the Terry Thomas building in SLU this June. The move proved to be a breath of fresh air that brought unexpected changes and pleasures to the firm’s associates.

 “We got here during the beautiful summer days of June. I worked eight blocks south for 19

Patricia Belyea, principal

years, but for the very first time I walked home to Ballard. It was revolutionary. And, the next week I walked to work,” said Patricia Belyea, principal.

Nick Johnson, a designer who commutes in from Bremerton, initially was worried about the move. He was concerned that his trip to and from work would take longer. For years he had driven his car to the ferry terminal, walked onto the ferry and then jogged across downtown to work. Now Johnson bikes the entire trip. Because he’s on a bike he’s first on the ferry and first off. He actually arrives at work five minutes faster plus he’s saving $1,200 a year not paying for commuter parking on the peninsula.

The move has brought professional benefits as well. Belyea counts Pemco among its client list and now designers can walk to meetings. “It’s been an interesting twist that we can see clients without driving,” said Belyea. She said it’s also easy for people to visit for coffee because parking is so easy to find. “We have people who want to come and visit us,” she said. In addition, Belyea has taken the street car to meetings downtown.

The fact that SLU is a national hub for research and innovation is another benefit for the firm.  The location provides easy access to companies and institutions in the life sciences, long a focus of Belyea’s graphic design practice.

The sustainability of the building also drew the firm to SLU. The Terry Thomas building, designed by Weber Thompson, is one of the most environmentally sustainable buildings in the Pacific Northwest. It is among the 2009 American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (COTE) top ten projects nationally. “It’s a really progressive building. We experience sustainability right here. With low-flush toilets, composting in the kitchen, and passive cooling, there's a big consciousness right here at work,” said Belyea.

Another pleasant surprise has been the presence of the Cascade Farmer’s Market. When Belyea had a Friday dinner for 20 planned, she stopped at the Market and selected local, fresh produce for her party. “It was handy, fresh and I love it,” she said.

Belyea likes her new neighborhood so much she’s joined the South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce where she found “a great assortment of people and a place for everyone.”