Breed presents…
Jessica Walsh, Founder of &Walsh
Jessica Walsh is every bit a self-made woman. Brought up in Connecticut, she’d taught herself to code by age 11 and was designing websites. She created her own site to help other kids to build their own websites, added one of the new Google Advertising banners to it and started making quite a bit of money. Fired by this success, she took herself to the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 2008. She moved to New York, where she was headhunted by Apple, but turned their lucrative offer down in favour of an internship with legendary designer Paula Scher at Pentagram. From there, she went on to work as art director at Print magazine, where she began to discover and develop her own distinct style.
It was at this point she first contacted Stefan Sagmeister, going on to work for him, making such a strong impression that she soon went into partnership with him as Sagmeister & Walsh, working for clients like Levi’s and Adobe. After nine years, she felt it was time to go solo, founding &Walsh in 2019, and hoping to add to the purported 0.1% of creative agencies owned by women. With that strikingly low percentage in mind, Jessica also started Ladies, Wine & Design, which has the mission of encouraging more diversity in the creative industry, with mentoring, talks, and networking events taking place all over the world. Then there’s Let’s Talk About Mental Health, an initiative that sets out to remove the stigma in talking about issues with mental health.
As if all that wasn’t enough, Jessica teaches design and typography at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and continues to be an inspirational designer and advocate for women in senior roles in the creative world.
We’re very lucky that Jessica has taken a little time to tell us about her life, all that she’s achieved so far, and what she sees coming next.
Would you describe yourself as someone with an exceptional drive to succeed from a young age?
At 11 years old I was designing and coding websites. In high school I had a web design business creating websites for local businesses. With my background in digital, I went to college at RISD to learn more traditional art/design. It wasn’t long after graduating college that I was managing and growing a design studio while producing/directing large scale advertising campaigns and TVC/print productions. I think I found success at a young age because 1) I worked really, really, fucking hard all the time 2) I have incredible amounts of passion and persistence for what I do 3) I’m resourceful and scrappy and have follow-through to get things done.
What made you want to learn to code at age 11?
My interest in coding started as something I would dabble with in my free time. I ended up creating an HTML help site that taught other kids how to make websites. Google Advertising had just launched and I tried one of their banners on my website and started making a lot of money off of it. I never thought I could make money from this hobby, I always thought I would do a regular job in business or finance. My success early on with web design was what gave me confidence to go to art school and dedicate my life to design.
Where did design enter the equation as the direction you really wanted to pursue?
Design became my focus in high school after teaching myself CSS, HTML, and graphic software. While I had the technical skills for a coding career, I was drawn to the fine arts and the opportunity to learn a new craft. I attended RISD where I was immediately thrown into a ‘foundation year’ where I took introductory courses in drawing, painting, ceramics, woodworking, and other unfamiliar art forms. In my second year, I declared design as my major and learned to combine my art and handmade elements with my digital skills, helping me become the graphic designer I am today.
Do you sometimes wonder what might have happened if you’d accepted Apple’s offer instead of opting to pursue a more creative route at Pentagram?
Yes, after graduating from RISD, I faced a significant decision. Apple offered me a well-paid job, but I yearned for a studio environment where I could learn from diverse clients and design challenges. Instead, I chose a low-paid internship with Paula Scher at Pentagram. It was a risk, but the learning experience was invaluable. These were very formative years for my personal style, creativity and work ethic. I threw myself into the work and worked nights and weekends while doing freelance photography projects to pay rent. So, while I do wonder about the ‘what ifs’ of Apple, I’m incredibly grateful for the creative path I chose.
Who were your biggest influences in design when you were first starting?
Honestly, my biggest influence was my grandmother. She had this incredible, almost magical ability to transform very little into something extraordinary. Money was tight, but she could conjure these wildly colourful, utterly unique outfits. That spirit of resourcefulness and vibrant self-expression really stuck with me. It taught me that design isn’t just about what you have, but how you use it.
However, design wise, I loved Paula Scher’s work for the Public Theatre, Tibor Kalman’s work for COLORS magazine or Stefan Sagmeister’s posters designs.
What did you learn during your time as an intern with Paula Scher?
I learned an incredible amount working with her and her team at Pentagram. Beyond the practical skills and experience, I learned the value of dedication, hard work, and taking creative risks. It was Paula’s recommendation that led me to an art director position at the design magazine Print. It was there I developed my surreal, colourful, handcrafted, playful style.
In what ways did your time at Print magazine shape your thinking?
I started working there as an art director in 2008 when the economy crashed, and the magazine’s budgets were slashed for illustration and photography. I’ve always approached constraints and hurdles as interesting obstacles. I accepted this limitation as an opportunity to do things myself, I taught myself photography and set design and started creating a lot of the cover and interior artwork for the magazine and started creating elaborate handmade set designs, which I photographed in my apartment. This is where I developed my colourful handcraft set design style. I experimented and played with all kinds of techniques that I had not seen done before in the design world, like body painting. I started to be recognized for this colourful and surreal set design style. Eventually, people began to recognize my style and I was hired by all kinds of editorial clients.
After a few years of doing this, the colourful photo illustration style started to become trendy. I didn’t want to just be pigeon-holed into doing this one kind of illustration style, especially as it no longer felt fresh/unique. It was at this point I decided that I wanted to start a design/branding studio so I would have varied clients and challenges.
What did you bring to the table that Stefan Sagmeister realised he needed when you started working with him?
When I started at Sagmeister Inc I immediately took on all aspects of projects: ideation, client management, design, and production. I was also handling the business side, from contracts and invoicing to hiring. After a few years, he offered me a partnership. At 24, it might seem bold, but I’d been designing professionally since I was 12, so by 24, I had 12 years of experience and knew I was ready. I negotiated the partnership over several months, and that’s when the studio became Sagmeister & Walsh.
What made you decide the time was right to strike out on your own with &Walsh?
Stefan and I had an amazing decade working together, the partnership was successful for both of us. I decided it was time to start my own agency as I’ve been leading S&W’s operations and client work the last few years, so it made sense to separate the client work from the arts/exhibition side of our company.
Additionally, a significant driving force behind starting &Walsh was the stark reality that only 0.1% of creative agencies are founded by women, with even smaller numbers for women and nonbinary people of colour. The lack of leadership opportunities for women in this industry is abysmal, and I wanted to actively contribute to the change I wish to see.
Do you feel that it’s most important to find your own personal style and become known for that or to be constantly evolving and updating what you do?
Developing a personal style and voice can be helpful for your career, but don’t worry if it doesn’t happen right away. It takes time. I am drawn to certain visual sensibilities that surface as themes in my personal work, but it took me many years to develop this style (and it’s still evolving!). One piece of advice for developing your signature style would be to expose yourself to a wide variety of inspirations from different creative disciplines, not just from your own field. Look at film, music, art, photography, fashion, design. Become a collector of things that you find beautiful or that resonate with you on an emotional level. In time, you will notice patterns and themes within your collections of what you resonate with. These patterns can hold clues to your own passions, key experiences or emotions, and styles you gravitate towards – all of which can be used to develop your unique voice. Over time, you may find the inspirations you gravitate toward change, and it’s interesting to track how these inspirations evolve as you do. So, I suggest keeping records of these inspirations either digitally or with a physical scrapbook or diary.
With that said, we don’t have one set style for our branding work with clients. Our goal with brands is to help them discover their own unique brand personality through our strategy phase. All our creative work is a reflection of the brand’s unique personality: from copywriting, typography, and colour choices to the images we create. This helps a brand build equity in something true and honest to them, which helps set them apart from their competition. I don’t believe in putting my own personal style onto a brand unless it’s a match for the brand’s personality and makes sense for the brand’s goals and target audiences.
How do you go about finding ideas when faced with a brief, a deadline, and a blank sheet of paper or screen?
Coming up with great ideas takes practice, and in the beginning, you have to really work at it. If you’re stuck when brainstorming, one trick I like to use is to look to the content for inspiration. What is the product, who are the consumers, what are ‘brand personality traits’ or keywords that have to do with the messaging? I make mind maps of those words, search for synonyms, and Google all the words on my mind map to help find related imagery. This often sparks an idea of some kind.
From there, it’s all about embracing ‘creative play’. This means giving myself the time and space to experiment without the fear of failure. Play is a mindset, a state of flow where you strike the right balance between challenge and opportunity. It’s about allowing yourself to explore freely and discover unexpected solutions.
Ultimately, finding ideas is about systematically exploring the brief, and embracing creative play. It’s a process that requires both structure and freedom, analysis and experimentation.
Was it direct personal experience that led you to start Ladies, Wine & Design, and have you seen any improvement in the standing of women in the creative industries in recent years?
Yes, Ladies, Wine & Design (LW&D) was born directly from my own experiences with sexism within the design industry. Earlier in my career, when I started reaching a certain level of success and recognition in the design field, the amount of hate mail, jealous remarks, and outright sexism I experienced multiplied exponentially. What surprised me most about all of these remarks was that a large percentage of them came from women. This experience inspired me to start Ladies, Wine & Design, an initiative whose mission is focused on the idea of women supporting rather than competing against each other.
This experience highlighted a broader issue: the internalized sexism that can permeate even within communities that are marginalized. It underscored the urgent need for women to support and uplift each other.
LW&D was my response to this need. It’s a global community dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive space for women and non-binary creatives to connect, mentor, and empower each other. We offer free mentorship circles, portfolio reviews, talks, and discussions on topics ranging from creativity and business to leadership and work-life balance.
While there’s still much work to be done to achieve true equality in the creative industries, there’s a growing awareness of the challenges faced by women and non-binary individuals, and a greater emphasis on fostering inclusive workplaces.
What are your tips for dealing with the stresses and anxieties that can come from working in the creative industry?
Stress and anxiety are common companions for creatives. It comes with the territory of constantly pushing boundaries and exploring new ideas. My advice is instead of letting anxiety consume you, channel the energy into motivation to work even harder to come up with a great idea. When you should really be nervous is when you get bored or overly confident with your work. That’s when you risk creating mediocre work or making the same stuff over and over again.
Finally, remember that self-care is essential. Make time for activities that help you recharge and de-stress, whether it’s spending time in nature, pursuing hobbies, or simply relaxing with loved ones. A balanced lifestyle is crucial for maintaining creativity and well-being in the long run.
Are you optimistic about the future for human creativity?
Of course I’m optimistic! The future of human creativity is a complex question with the introduction of AI. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I’m excited by the potential of AI to democratize creative tools and break down traditional barriers to entry. This could lead to an explosion of diverse voices and perspectives in the art world.
However, I also have concerns about the potential impact of AI on human creativity. Will AI tools ultimately diminish the value of human expression and skill? Will they lead to homogenization of artistic styles, as algorithms optimize for what’s popular or easily consumed? These are questions we need to grapple with as AI becomes more sophisticated.
Ultimately, I believe as humans we have an innate drive to express ourselves and connect with others through art. Whether AI serves as a tool to enhance that expression or presents a challenge to overcome, human creativity will find a way to adapt and evolve.
Would you do it all again in exactly the same way?
100%.