Video by Copperhound Pictures
Building the Brand of Ginkgo Bioworks
Biology is the most advanced technology on the planet — and its potential to grow everything is endless. Ginkgo Bioworks programs cells to make everything from food to materials to therapeutics. But how do you show the value of synthetic biology when much of the processes are microscopic?
As an early foundational member of Ginkgo Bioworks’ creative team, I led brand and visual design from 2018 - 2022, laying the groundwork for what is Ginkgo today. In my time, I led a website rebrand that was nominated for a 2022 Webby, art directed an illustration that appeared in Times Square on the day we went public, launched an award-winning magazine, coordinated the Ginkgo Creative Residency, and photographed the resurrection of an extinct flower, which was published in National Geographic. I produced countless videos, photos, and written content for the brand, built out storytelling trainings for our scientists, brought physical spaces to life in the office, and designed the majority of Ginkgo's public facing decks. As people so eloquently have remarked to me before, “I helped shape what synthetic biology looks like”.
Creative Direction
Art Direction
Brand Strategy
Content Production
For Ginkgo's IPO — the largest IPO of a biotechnology company ever — I commissioned and art directed illustrator Daniel Clarke to create solarpunk-inspired imagery, one where humans, nature, and technologies interact peacefully, invoking a sense of wonder and awe. This illustration appeared in Times Square on September 17th, 2021, the day that Ginkgo Bioworks went public under stock ticker $DNA.
Photo by Tim Llewellyn
Video by Kris Cheng
Working with Image Conscious Studios, I led the rebrand of Ginkgo's new homepage. The site featured refreshed messaging, story, and look and feel. The website was nominated for Best Homepage at the 2022 Webby Awards.
What if we could resurrect the scent of an extinct flower? I helped document the process, contributing photo and video to exhibits in the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, Centre Pompidou, Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne, and more around the world. The photographs that I took were also published in National Geographic.
For the announcement of several of Ginkgo’s flagship partnerships, I worked with illustrator Karen Ingram to create art pieces that depicted the scientific processes behind the partnerships. Each art piece displays an intricate intertwining of elements to represent the complexity of each of our projects.
Photo by Grace Chuang
I designed the majority of Ginkgo’s public facing slides. This deck was the first public deck released after we announced our intention to go public in May of 2021.