BACKING YOU: Graphic Designer Fabienne Wente Ties Together Paper Arts and Cutting-Edge Technology

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March 29, 2018
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Name: Fabienne Wente

Founded: 2008

When Fabienne Wente was a kid, her mom encouraged her to “get her hands dirty” by trying all manner of creative endeavors, from art classes and crafting workshops to computer science and technology courses. At the same time, Fab (her preferred nickname) was an active member of the Girl Scouts learning all sorts of do-it-yourself (DIY) skills -- including how to tie some really excellent knots.

Fast forward to today, when Fab puts that diverse learning to use as an innovative graphic designer specializing in the intersection of high-tech computer graphics with low-tech print and paper arts. These days, Fab works for an independent advertising and social media agency in LA and devotes evenings and weekends to building her own graphic design business, The NU Creative. By all accounts, Fab’s multimedia work is fresh, fun and colorful. And sometimes, it all hangs together thanks to a few well-tied knots.

Fab, your work incorporates both traditional and high-tech graphic design techniques. How did you start melding two totally different approaches?

When I graduated from college and started working, almost immediately I had the opportunity to freelance for clients outside my 9-5 job. It was my chance to come up with my own brand. I’ve always loved working with typography and letterpress printing and putting my own modern twist on an antiquated technique.

I make hand-crafted paper invitations and announcements. My advertising primarily is through word-of-mouth, although my work has been featured in various blogs and I post on Instagram, too.

Through your agency work, you’ve also brought a fresh design perspective to some big advertising campaigns.

My focus on typography led to me to a job with Starbucks, because they wanted a “hand-drawn” look for a new campaign. That led to a series of ads and social posts for Tillamook’s “De-Junk the Lunchbox” campaign. The creative director saw potential in me, so I got to do all sorts of things including hand lettering, food styling, photography and retouching. It was all very DIY and hands-on. The whole experience really strengthened me professionally and opened a door for me to get out of my chair and up to the drawing board.

For Nickelodeon, I created a series of “locker hacks” which were DIY projects kids could make to decorate their school locker. My experience as a child really came into play here, because it required a lot of imagination and invention. The challenge was coming up with designs the kids would find fun but also manageable and safe.

All my art classes and workshops really paid off in helping me develop these lockers. For example, one of the details I created was a “universe chandelier” that you could turn on and off. The project was a success because I knew all about star-hole punchers, double-sided tape and tying knots.

You tend to feature bold, saturated color. Is that a reflection of how you see the world?

I find beauty in really bright colors. If I’m photographing the ocean, I’ll use Photoshop to bump up and exaggerate the pinks, purples and blues. I dress in a lot of metallics, pinks and polka dots, and I’m really drawn to sparkly things. And my hair has been various shades of blue, pink and green.

It takes a lot of energy and commitment to work full-time and run a freelance business on the side. Are you tempted to start working for yourself?

I definitely think about it. In advertising, sometimes the “creative process” involves so much revision that it’s discouraging, and it stops feeling creative. In my business, I love having the freedom to come up with my own authentic creative vision. It’s really rewarding to see a finished product I’ve built with my own two hands.

I’ve read so many books about starting your own business, and I know I’d need to save up for a year so I could stay on my feet. I can’t do that right now. That’s okay -- my weekend projects and hobbies bring me joy and a sense of creative fulfilment. If I don’t have a project going on the side, I’m antsy and bored!

Speaking of hobbies, word is you’ve got a new one underway …

I’m really into inventing and designing cocktails. I spend a lot of my spare time coming up with recipes, sourcing ingredients, shopping and finding cool props for a photo shoot. I’ll shoot four or five new cocktails a month. It’s really time consuming, but styling cocktails is easier and less expensive than working with food. You’ve got a longer presentation time for photographing, but creatively, you still need to think about color, composition and, of course, taste. It’s a puzzle, and I love figuring it out. And there’s no better reward when you’re done than drinking the cocktail!

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