About Belle & Wissell
Puget Systems worked with Ed Tang, Technology director at Belle & Wissell to design workstations optimized for their large-scale interactive projects.
In describing the company and his role, Tang says, "Belle & Wissell is an independent design studio that was founded in 2003 by our Studio Principal, Gabe Kean. We are best known for our work creating interactive exhibits for museums, branded environments, and architecturally significant spaces. I have been with Belle & Wissell since 2012. I came to Belle & Wissell with a background in software development for design firms and educational software companies. As Technology Director, I am responsible for overseeing the custom software development that drives our projects, audiovisual systems design, hardware prototyping, and technical coordination with our project partners when it comes time to plug our stuff in."
Tools of the Trade
One will find Macs around the Belle and Wissell offices. However, for their projects, they utilize Puget Systems PCs running Microsoft Windows to drive their content and deliver interactive experiences. One of the most important aspects of a technology-rich project is meeting the requirements and matching the hardware and software environments of the onsite IT or facilities teams who will be helping us keep things up and running.
These experiences we create are often high-profile and public-facing. They cannot fail at any point. Being able to work with Puget Systems as a collaborator through the whole process is really key. Because it has to work.
Technical Challenges
Belle & Wissell often have to fit computers into differently sized spaces – small quiet PCs that will fit into a case in an art gallery, or rack-mountable PCs that can sit alongside audiovisual gear in a rack. Tang mentioned the importance of being able to work closely with a systems builder like Puget to make sure his PCs are built properly and to help them find that perfect intersection between our desired horsepower and those different physical requirements is really helpful.
This was the first project where I had to spec a rack-mounted PC. I'd never done it before. I had no idea how that worked. So I emailed Puget and they said sure, and they didn't make me feel stupid.
Why Belle & Wissell Selected Puget Systems
Puget Systems has been providing high-performance computers to Belle & Wissell for many years now. Tang mentioned that uptime and support are two of the biggest challenges he faces when building out these large, interactive projects. Knowing that each computer has been optimized for the task along with being fully tested to handle the unique environmental challenges has been critical to his firm's success.
In Tang's words, "We have a longstanding relationship with Puget Systems from before I started at Belle & Wissell and are delighted to continue that relationship moving forward!"
Some recent studio projects that Tang and his team have worked with Puget Systems on include:
Puget Systems offers a range of powerful and reliable systems that are tailor-made for your unique workflow.
Our Labs team is available to provide in-depth hardware recommendations based on your workflow.
