MANILA, FEBRUARY 13, 2013 – “Play with rules” is Jessica Walsh’s formula for producing the best designs. Although advocating for play, “having limitations makes my work better,” Walsh told a roomful of design enthusiasts at Graphika Manila 2013.
Walsh is a designer, art director, and illustrator working in New York City. A partner at New York-based design studio, Sagmeister & Walsh, she also teaches at the School of Visual Arts. Her work has won numerous design awards from the Type Director’s Club & Art Director’s Club. She has received various celebrated distinctions including Computer Arts’ “Top Rising Star in Design”, an Art Director’s Club “Young Guns” award and Print Magazine’s “New Visual Artist”.
Debunking the common understanding twisted by society and the present education system, Walsh said that play is not a waste of time and it is when people look at the activity that way that they crazy, creative ideas are repressed.
Her quality of work is tantamount to her quality of play, making her feel balanced, creative and alive.
Fresh out of art college, Walsh worked as an art director for Print Magazine. It was during her time there that her unconventional yet best work was produced. These include a cover of four people toasting champagne glasses filled with CMYK colored paints. The shot tool numerous tries, several broken champagne glasses and one bloody finger, Walsh said.
A toast to design success. Walsh’s toasting champagne glasses came out just as she imagined it to be but not after numerous takes. Photo taken from Jessica Walsh’s Behance account.
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Another project on typography and photography was done for the Aizone FW12 Campaign. There were no calculated steps taken for the conceptualization of the campaign, taking elements of play and raw materials to create the words.
“The opposite of play isn’t work but depression,” Walsh said, exemplifying what play at work truly means.
