Passing of Allan Guy of Manassas, artist, designer, illustrator

A fourth generation artist and designer, Allan Guy of Allan Guy Design & Illustration in Manassas, VA, died on August 20, 2015. He was 49 years old.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, October 3 from 6 to 8 p.m., at Pierce Funeral Home, 9609 Center Street, Manassas VA 20110, where a memorial service will be held Sunday, October 4 at 2 p.m.

After earning a BFA from East Carolina University, Mr. Guy worked at one of the nation’s most renowned brand identity firms (Lipson, Alport, Glass and Associates, NY) and one of the nation’s oldest design firms (Gianninoto Associates, NY). His tenure with these Manhattan-based companies allowed him to create for national and international companies, including Bacardi-Martini (for whom he designed Bacardi Limon, a top-selling spirits brand, as well as Bacardi Spice Rum), Jim Beam, Johnny Walker, Dewars & Sons, Brown-Forman Worldwide, Pepsi-Cola, Campbell Soups, Cadbury Schweppes/A&W, Chock Full o’ Nuts, and Veryfine, among others.

Mr. Guy developed premium branding and packaging for prominent regional wineries, distilleries, and historic organizations. Some clients include Philip Carter Winery, Ingleside Vineyards, Paradise Springs, and Potomac Point. In addition to designing the branding for Silverback Distillery, KO Distilling, Beach Spirits, and Catoctin Creek Distilling, Mr. Guy created the specialty packaging for George Washington’s Rye and Straight Rye Whiskies (featured in “Time” magazine), George Washington’s Apple and Peach brandies, and Martha Washington’s Colonial Rum, which were distilled at historic Mount Vernon. His label and bottle design for Silverback Distillery’s Beringei Vodka won a Bronze Medal at the prestigious 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for Packaging Design.

He recently held an art show at King’s Family Vineyard that ran from July 1 to August 31, during which several of his original works were purchased.

When Manassas commemorated the 150th Anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas at Bull Run, Mr. Guy was honored to design the logo, which is still used in promotional materials for advertising, posters, and street banners. His other projects included designing and illustrating public material and exhibits for the Manassas Museum and the City of Manassas.

As an avid painter, Mr. Guy found artistic inspiration at his family’s retreats at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland, their cabin in the Catskills of New York, and in almost any locale with history and farmland.

He once traveled solo, in a canoe of his own making, down the White Cliffs region of the Missouri River, retracing the steps of explorers Lewis and Clark, and the early German watercolorist-explorer Karl Bodmer.

Mr. Guy caught fish on the fly in 22 states and was looking forward to revisiting his ancestral, family farm in Wales (Ty Goch) to catch trout in the streams of that region.

Allan is preceded in death by his father, Richard Guy who also was a renowned artist. His survivors include his mother, Shirley Guy, his sister Marianne Pendlebury (Steve), brothers Stephen Guy (Kristy), Clayton Guy (Angel), nieces and nephews Michael Pendlebury (Teresa), Laura Delaney (CJ), Julia Guy, Chase Bailey, Evan Guy, the extended Root family, and his partner of ten years, Cynthia Roman, and her son Tyler Knight.

Allan graduated from Osbourn High school in 1983 and served as class president during his senior year. During his college years at East Carolina University, Allan authored and illustrated a comic for the school newspaper called “Walkin the Plank”. After graduation with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1987, Allan entered and won a competition to redesign the Pepsi soda can resulting in the “Cool Can” issued for the holidays.

In lieu of flowers the family wishes donations to go to the following organizations:

Historic Manassas-The Banner Project
9431 West Street
Manassas, Virginia 20110
(A way to support local artists)

The Manassas Museum
901 Prince William Street
Manassas, Virginia 20110
(A way to support local history, a love of Allan’s)