WATG celebrates 75 years with ‘Travel by Design’ series

Irvine, CA – January 7, 2020 – WATG, one of the world’s leading design firms, rings in the new year celebrating its 75th anniversary. Founded in Hawaii in 1945 by George “Pete” Wimberly, the firm has grown to 500 employees worldwide and remains independent as an employee-owned business. To commemorate this significant milestone, WATG designers put their collective jetsetting experience to paper to launch “WATG Travel by Design”. The monthly column shares boots on the ground insights from the firm’s globetrotting professionals who over the last 75 years have designed internationally acclaimed destinations in more than 170 countries across six continents.

Design takes the WATG team all over the world to create the most beautifully imagined properties on the planet. Several fundamental attributes of a designer are an energetic sense of curiosity, his or her unique ability to observe and a deep understanding of context. Inside WATG Travel by Design, those observations are shared, so whether traveling far afield or simply exploring a home city, readers will find a comprehensive travel guide with a designer-perspective. 

“Our founders were intrepid,” said Anthony Mallows, President and Chief Executive Officer of WATG. “Riding the wave of post-war transcontinental air travel, Pete Wimberly coined a motto, ‘have pencil, will travel’. Pete, Howard Cook, Greg Tong, Don Goo and other partners regularly traveled to undeveloped markets and were instrumental in pioneering new destinations across the South Pacific and Asia, and were some of the first American designers to work in China. This trailblazing spirit remains the core of our firm’s DNA today – 75 years later. To celebrate our heritage and our swashbuckling spirit, we are excited to launch this series to share our travel knowledge through the exclusive creative perspective of our design team.”

As a tribute to its birthplace, the first edition spotlights Hawaii. WATG’s Honolulu design team provides travelers with a wide range of their favorite recommendations – everything from design, architecture, retail, dining, hospitality and adventure.  

Each month, WATG Travel by Design will spotlight a new destination and is available on the WATG website.

For additional information, interviews and images please email Erica Raskin.