Life & Work with Janny Ji

Today we’d like to introduce you to Janny Ji. 

Hi Janny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in China and moved to the United States in 2011 for education. I was trained as an illustrator and painter at the Rhode Island School of Design and later on received a Graphic Design MFA degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art. This background has influenced my creative focus. My work is a combination of illustration and graphic design, and I enjoy switching gears based on different challenges. 

Previously, I worked as a designer at Pentagram Design in NYC which is the world’s largest independent design consultancy owned and run by 24 design leaders in the industry. During my time there, I worked on projects including brand identity, exhibition design, social campaign, editorial design, and packaging design for high-profile clients in various industries, including LG, Netflix, American Express, Platoon, The Met, University of Chicago, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Moravian University, Van Alen Institute and many more. Currently, I work at TBWA\Media Arts Lab creating bespoke advertising campaigns for Apple. 

Over the past years, my projects have been recognized by the Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club, Graphis, Adobe, STA100, GDUSA, Applied Arts, 3×3 Illustration, The Society of Illustrators, and more. Some projects were featured in Print Magazine, Communication Arts, The Dieline, and PAGE magazine. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It is definitely not a smooth road; however, the struggles, trials, and failures have become the most valuable gifts on this journey. What is most important is maintaining a learner’s mindset. 

As an immigrant creative who grew up in the eastern culture, adapting to the western cultural environment was not as simple as I imagined. There were difficulties in communication, point of view, and understanding. Later on, I realized it is not about abandoning your mother culture and entirely switching to a new culture; it’s about being open-minded to learn from others while sharing and exchanging your experiences. 

This applies to everything we do, especially in my design practice. During the covid pandemic in 2020, I worked as the main designer on a social campaign project called Neighborhoods Now, which was initiated by the Urban Design Forum and the Van Alen Institute to help struggling small businesses in NYC with their reopening strategies via a graphic campaign. Pentagram was teamed up with the 82 Street Partnership in Jackson Heights, a diverse immigrant neighborhood in Queens. The challenge for the project was to develop something that would work across language and culture and that was friendly, engaging, and helpful without looking too “official.” After our team did thorough research to learn about the neighborhood and to understand the actual needs of the business owners, we came to a solution: a series of multilingual posters and signs illustrated by me, incorporating fun creatures without race or gender, bright CMYK colors that save printing costs, cheerful graphics, and bold typography set in Google’s free Noto Sans, outlining Covid-19 safety requirements in an inviting and digestible way. Many times, designers have their own ways of working and style preferences, but in a social campaign project like this, it’s more about understanding and learning about the actual needs of the people and community we are helping while utilizing and sharing our design expertise in the most effective way. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In my job, I work as a graphic designer, illustrator, and art director, with a specialization in brand identity design and advertising. On the side, I work on paintings to continue my fine art practice. Creating brand identities allows me to explore typography, visual storytelling, and illustration through various mediums, both in digital and print. Whether it’s designing a logo, a business card, a poster, a billboard, a website, or a motion graphic, there is boundless potential and opportunity in creative ideas. 

So far, I’ve worked on projects for clients in various industries. One aspect that I’m proud of or happy about is when I can utilize both of my skills in graphic design and illustration. For instance, during my time at Pentagram, I worked on the re-brand project of Platoon, a London-based creative services firm founded in 2016, acquired by Apple in 2018. The company itself is super exciting. It creates a community for fearless creatives across the world, and it is extremely active in Africa’s music scene with services, events, and campaigns that are strictly focused on African artists. The re-brand task was to create a singular logo that can live alongside the existing Platoon wordmark. With the company’s core principles and background in mind, our team at Pentagram developed a unique symbol that depicts two zebras hugging each other in an abstract way to celebrate the idea of parts coming together to form perfect harmony and balance. It was a great opportunity for me to illustrate an abstract yet pictorial symbol that works at different scales and throughout the identity system, including website, music video watermarks, vinyl record covers, posters, apparel, and many more. 

In terms of what sets me apart from others, I think everyone is unique, and everyone’s experience and expertise are valuable to a community. For me, I think what I can bring is my experience growing up in eastern culture, an open-minded learner’s attitude, and a background in fine art and design. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I would say so far, I feel pretty lucky to have met so many inspiring mentors, peers, and clients along the road. It’s fascinating to learn how much others can impact you as a creative person and a human being. There are things that bring struggles and difficulties, but at the end of the day, they become what makes you unique. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jannyji.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jannieeeji/