W+K Shanghai Presents: Hometown Food Face Portraits

When you walk through the doors of any Wieden+Kennedy office, you don't see awards; you see portraits of the people who work there. So in 2019, Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai revamped their portraits with a concept titled “HOMETOWN FOOD FACE.”

The idea was simple: each employee selects a food from their hometown, consults an art director or designer, then crafts a costume that highlights their favorite food and their face. Because Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai is a cultural melting pot with more than 20 countries represented, the imagery is richly diverse and filled with personality.

The art direction and photography were done 100% in house. Above all, Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai wanted the portraits to be colorful and fun, with simple studio lighting that allowed the exquisitely handcrafted costumes and employees’ faces to shine.

One employee from Beijing created a regal portrait with the local style of hotpot. Another employee from Qingdao created a beautiful tiara from seafood. An employee from Shanghai used the city’s famous “hairy crabs” as hairpieces.

The result was a lively and delicious in-house gallery of portraits worthy of Michelin Stars.