Eatin’ Soft Ice Cream \ Coney Island Queen
Grace MacLean Henderson
I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Marist College with a major in Digital Media and double minors in Graphic Design and Art History. During college I had multiple internships– from a print shop in Florence to my beloved art gallery in Poughkeepsie, NY– and was able to secure a job as the Web Designer for Eataly North America shortly after graduating.
While my job with Eataly started as just web design, I quickly noticed there was a need for a creative lead in other departments and took on work far above my general duties. After 5 years with the company, I was able to expand my role and become the principal digital designer for the marketing, PR, social media, and ecommerce departments.
At Fetch for Pets and Brand Buzz I was able to gain new experience working with multiple licensees at a time, having to follow brand guidelines for each over multiple platforms, and working on new types of media. I led a project developing an app for one of our partners. It was great insight into managing the technical side of applications in addition to the design cohesion while working with third party developers.
Most recently, at Urban Edge, I was introduced to the world of commercial real estate- with a hand in everything from a complete rebrand of the company to working with our leasing agents on collateral for vacant spaces and large-scale signage for malls like Bergen Town Center. As the first and only designer with the company, I had the creative freedom to expand their digital presence with a focus on video.
I absolutely love what I do, and I thrive around others who share this passion. Design, to me, is much more than just making things that look nice. There is an artistry to designing with intent– intent to sell, to drive brand awareness, to change people’s world view, or even just to make a person hungry as they look at a beautiful bowl of pasta.
When I’m not creating (or critiquing ads on the subway) I enjoy baking for my roommates, playing video games, watching niche internet videos about early 2000s pop culture, and listening to the same song over and over until I hate it. My family, my friends, and my rescue pup Dharma are the most important things in my life, just slightly above Hmart (the best grocery store in the world) and Ted Lasso (who I consider both friend and family).