Category: Digital Media Foundations

Born October 30, 1986, Jessica Walsh is an American art director, designer, and educator with an impressive career attracting goliath tech company Apple to offer her a starting salary of almost 100,000$ right out of university. As early as the age of 11, Walsh was into coding and designing websites which would later lead her to attend Rhode Island School of Design to receive her BFA degree in 2008. After getting her education in RISD, Walsh went to intern for the notable design firm, Pentagram, in New York City for about a year. 

Photo of Jessica Walsh from NYTimes

 

Her career only took off from there, getting the position as associate art director at Print magazine which, to summarize her own words, was the greatest thing that happened in her career because it’s where she learned about her identity/style and how to develop it through her work. To becoming a partner with renowned designer, Stefan Sagmeister, two years after being under his wing at a newly made company, ‘Sagmeister&Walsh’, in 2012. Her most recent accomplishment was fulfilling her dream of forming her own studio known today as, ‘&Walsh’.

Aizone Winter Campaign 2015 directed by Jessica Walsh 

There are countless of Walsh’s works that show a variety of skill and attention to design that are quite admirable, but one that stands out to me the most is the campaign for Aizone which was directed by the great Jessica Walsh herself. In this campaign you’ll instantly notice the cartoony aesthetic throughout the whole environment. There are an array of colors throughout the whole campaign which highlight the message which is being put out. Uses patterns to keep the viewer entertained while looking at the ads. Form is another key technique that is used through the campaign to add dimension in every environment promoting Aizone. In her own way, Walsh stays true to her own personal style while showing off the employer’s theme and goal. 

Milly for Micehelle Smith by &Walsh

One of Walsh’s more notable designs is a campaign for womenswear called Milly, where she yet again demonstrates her brilliant sense of personal style that can be acknowledged from anywhere. The purpose of Milly’s campaign was to portray inclusiveness and individuality. It’s clear from one of the campaigns shown above that Walsh hit right and center on the goal. The color choice does a incredible job in displaying what pride is all about, no discrimination and all around inclusive. The pattern used is quite unique for it brings out the most of the individuals displayed but in all in different ways. This is just another of Walsh’s grand displays of her talent in the design field all while keeping her personal agenda. 

Jessica Walsh on Behance

Making a name for herself has put her on the map as one of the most successful young woman art directors that have inspired many. Jessica Walsh sets an example for others who have  aspiring goals and motivated people like me, who can only wish to have nearly as much success as her in a lifetime. When I try to imagine what her career was like, it’s obvious that she faced countless challenges to reach her current accomplishments. To be successful at such an early age is remarkable on its own but to be part of a minority group (women) and still manage to become what you always dreamed of should receive recognition as an exceptional human being to model ourselves after.

Bibliography: 

– Behance. “Milly: Color Lover.” Behance, https://www.behance.net/gallery/83620419/Milly-Color-Lover. – “Jessica Walsh.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Walsh.