For this month's designer spotlight, we want to introduce you to W+K New York designer, Henry Jinings.
What office do you work in?
New York
How long have you worked at W+K and where did you work before this?
Coming up on nearly 5 years. Before this, I worked for the Fast Retailing Global Creative Lab in Portland, Oregon.
Did you always want to work in advertising? How did you end up here?
Didn’t really know what advertising was — in the sense that I knew what ads were like anyone else but never thought about advertising as a discipline. I moved to New York on a whim in 2016 with no real plans, and that brings us to today.
What do you like best about your job?
The people, who you come to learn, are of immeasurable value.
What are some client-facing projects you’ve worked on recently?
A load of Ford stuff. New business pitches. The McDonald’s All American Games.
What’s some of your favorite work you’ve made for a client?
Recently, the All American Games.
What’s your favorite part of the design process?
YouTube Tutorials with a tiny amount of views.
How would you describe your personal design aesthetic?
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Where do you find inspiration?
From the people I work with. Or when I’m not looking for it.
What are some design projects out there in the world that you think are really fucking cool?
Again — I love pestering all of my design peers at WKNY about the wonderful things they’re doing inside and outside the office.
Other than that — anything by Bertrand de Langeron, Dario Alva, Hipgnosis, Gail Bichler, Bureau Borsche, The Designers Republic, Selam x, Tibor Kalman, Uno Moralez, Chloe Scheffe, Richard Turley, Herb Lubalin, Zuzanna Rogatty, Timothy Luke, Bijan Berahimi, Sucuk und Bratwurst, Connor Campbell, Neil Kellerhouse, Hort, Bill Gold, Jordi Ng, Chrome & Lightning, Hudson-Powell, Porto Rocha, Hassan Rahim, Haw-Lin Services…
Any advice for aspiring designers?
Have a sense of humor.
Anything else you want to tell me about creativity, process, what you ate for breakfast … ?
Skipped breakfast today — bad habit of mine.
