&walsh

In 2019, Walsh left Sagmeister & Walsh to form her own firm, &Walsh—something she had dreamed about since she was a teenager. Speaking about the transition in an article she wrote in conjunction with the launch of her agency, she explained her insecurity but excitement and gratitude for being in a position to head her own firm, given that 0.1% of creative agencies are women-owned. “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for this privileged position I’ve found myself in. Very few women make it to creative leadership positions and even fewer have founded their own creative agencies.. I’m excited to build an agency that provides mentorship and equal opportunity for all to learn and grow creatively and climb the ranks towards leadership.” At its core, this was Walsh’s dream and she actualized it in record time for any designer, but especially a woman undermined at every point in her career. “Even when we achieve success, our legitimacy is doubted... However, this is a dream I’ve had since I was young, and I worked my ass off non-stop, round the clock to make this a reality.”

&Walsh is relatively new but already boasts clients such as Parle Agro, (India’s largest beverage company), Ted for 2020’s TedCountdown, Google I/O, Netflix, and more. The work her agency provides for its clients is beyond innovative, with refined modern themes, using color and typography in refreshing and thoughtful manners. Her work has inspired a new wave of design that uses metallic 3D renderings, giving a certain quality of modernity and contemporary flair to newer design works. She is always using bold and expressive color that maintain thought and precision to the client it’s for. Walsh doesn’t shy away from color when it may not always be expected, exemplified in her work with leafy greens company Plenty that uses bright reds, purples, and yellows for its branding. Her thought process was “Imagin(ing) fruits and veggies replacing chips and soda…Rather than sticking to typical healthy green visual cues, we took inspiration from desirable food categories, which reflects in both the identity and packaging work,” a refreshing and smart choice and tactic.