Balance By Design
I first had the pleasure of working with designer extraordinaire Francine Thompson in a packaging class I taught at the University of Minnesota back in 2017. It was clear from the beginning that Francine was a talent. At that point in her college career, not only did she have a very good handle on type and image-making, but she also had an eye for both smart and on-trend design. As the icing on the cake, her work ethic was and continues to be top-notch, her personality lovely, and her ability to throw herself in to all things design-adjacent — photography, art direction, styling, craftsmanship, strategic thinking, etc., — beyond impressive.
In 2018, I hit the jackpot again, and was lucky enough to have Francine as a student for her senior capstone. I remember her project clearly to this day. It still stands as such a fabulous example of what a final thesis project can and should be.
On a topic you’re interested in, passionate about, and have a personal connection to.
Designed to a tee, large in breadth and depth, with clear and compelling
storytelling.AND, presented in such a way that it’s impossible to forget.
If you haven’t yet seen this project under work on the website, here are some snapshots of Ora Beauty, a conceptual haircare brand for black women that is free of the normally toxic ingredients found in these products AND designed beautifully, too. Sadly, the design of these products has typically never stood up to the competition and has literally been sectioned off and separated in terms of location from the rest.
Francine still thinks fondly of her thesis project.
“My senior thesis! I’m still proud of it,” she sates. The making — the whole production of it — going from theoretical concept to a full realization of the finished tangible piece is so satisfying.
Francine also feels the project allowed her to dip her toes into a variety of areas, thereby really cementing how to holistically approach a brand.
But that’s so 2018…What’s Francine been up to since? A LOT.
Well, she started out as an intern at Zeus Jones in 2018, and for the following three years, continued to work for them as a designer. During the pandemic, she actually moved back to her hometown — San Diego — and continued to work for them remotely. Francine says Zeus Jones really helped her learn to approach design as a way to solve business problems. It taught her the importance of considering, no matter the project, where the brand is coming from, what the consumer aspires to be, and how that can all be channeled within the creative itself and delivered in smart and compelling ways.
Below are some of examples of work she completed for Chipotle while at Zeus.
In March of 2022, however, Francine has since taken on a new gig as a senior designer at Hims & Hers. In case you’re not familiar, Hims & Hers is a telehealth company that sells prescription and over-the-counter drugs online as well as a myriad of personal care products.
Unlike Francine’s previous job, Hims and Hers is an in-house design gig, and it has surprised Francine as to how much she enjoys the model! “I was worried it would be too much of the same, but there’s actually a nice variety of needs, as people from all over the company request different things,” she says. This allows Francine to be involved with a plethora of touch points.
Francine also says it’s a nice change to be “elbow-deep” in the whole brand rather than just in and out of a single piece or project.
So does Francine miss the hustle and bustle of agency life? Initially, she thought she might, but she learned, in fact, that there’s still hustle and bustle to be had in-house — just a better balanced one that’s not at the mercy of a client’s schedule.
Below are some of examples of projects Francine has worked on while at Hims & Hers.
And, even with a full-time gig on her plate, Francine still finds time to freelance! The work below is for Ban.do, where she had the opportunity to bring playful colors and compositions to many a notebook, planner, and sticker set!
And, what about personal passion projects? Yep. Francine manages to squeeze those in, too. She deems these projects part of her “maker practice — not side-hustle.“ They create a sort of sacred space that’s just for her. In this category falls quilting, sewing, cooking, and baking. These endeavors get her off of the computer and into a world where things are less editable, which can actually feel freeing. “Hand-driven projects force you to be present in your task and to not be so perfectionistic and fiddly with your work. The results can be more wonky and apologetic,” she says.
And finally, some very solid parting advice for designers from Francine:
1. Arrange as many informational interviews as possible.
2. Don’t put things in your portfolio you don’t want to repeat or do again.
3. Make hypothetical work!
I couldn’t agree with the validity of these three statements more! :)
If you want more Francine in your life, check out her website here, and follow her on social here!
