Austin Dunbar | Founder, Designer, Author

Founder. Designer. Author.

We become what we build.

I’ve spent my career designing brands, building businesses, and questioning what makes the work worthwhile. Over time, I’ve come to believe that the value of creating extends beyond what we make. It’s found in the people we meet, the perspectives we gain, and the possibilities we discover through the process.

See the work The book

Black-and-white portrait of Austin Dunbar seated on a black plinth in front of a black square — Still in the work.Covington, Kentucky

Founder & CEODurham Studio

Co-Founder & PartnerWenzel Distillery

AuthorBuilding in the Black

MemberFast Company Executive Board

01 — The Work

Everything I’m building,
in one place.

A / Since 2014

Durham Studio

Founder & CEO

Founded in 2014, Durham Studio began with a belief that thoughtful design could shape more than brands. What started as an independent creative practice has grown into an award-winning design and strategy studio working with some of the world’s most recognized companies.

More than a decade later, it continues to shape how I think about creativity, leadership, and the responsibility of building something that lasts.

Brand Strategy
Identity
Narrative
Motion
Experience

Kentucky’s Best Design Studio, 2026

durhamstudio.com

B / Since 2022

Wenzel Distillery

Co-Founder & Partner

Wenzel began with an opportunity to bring something meaningful back to Covington. The first distillery to open in Covington since Prohibition, Wenzel brings together craftsmanship, community, and a belief that the places we build should contribute to the places we call home.

It’s a different kind of creative pursuit, but one built on many of the same principles.

Bourbon
Tourism
Heritage
Hospitality

wenzeldistillery.com

C / Forthcoming | Spring 2027

Building in the Black

Author

What happens when the things you’re building begin to shape the person you’re becoming?

Building in the Black is a reflection on ambition, creativity, responsibility, and the often-overlooked cost of building something meaningful.

Written from inside the experience rather than from the other side of it, the book explores what success asks of us, what it gives back, and what we choose to carry forward.

buildingintheblack.com

D / Since 2026

Fast Company Executive Board

Board Member & Contributor

A community of founders and leaders working through many of the same questions I am. My contributions focus on brand, leadership, and building through uncertainty.

Contributor page

02 — The Book

Risk. Responsibility.
The Return on Commitment.

“I did not write Building in the Black as a business expert looking backward. I wrote it as a builder still in the work.”

Three parts. Nineteen chapters. One story. The book moves through the three phases of every meaningful build: the choice to begin, the weight of carrying it, and the person the carrying is quietly making you.

Not get-rich-quick. Not hustle-harder. An anti-business business book.

Visit buildingintheblack.com

Super 8 film still of Austin Dunbar on a Covington street

Shot on Super 8

03 — Conversations

Podcasts, panels & talks.

Building, design, leadership, and the cost of making something of your own. For booking, get in touch.

Up next

04 — Writing

Ideas worth exploring.
Questions worth asking.

Thoughts on design, business, creativity, and the experiences that shape us. Some drawn from years of building. Others from questions I’m still working through.

As seen in

05 — Mentioned

In the press.

06 — Contact

Let’s build something worth carrying.

Good ideas often begin with a conversation. Whether it’s a collaboration, speaking opportunity, interview, or simply a perspective worth sharing, I’m always interested in connecting with people who are creating something meaningful.

Get in Touch