An Huynh

What do busted toys, candy wrappers, shoe boxes and weird books have in common? Not much on the surface – but for An Huynh, they’re all part of the bigger picture that is his love for design. Drawing creatively from his surroundings, An brings the colorful clutter of everything from value shops to estate sales into his work. We find out what tailoring clothes taught him about design, how Tumblr helped him get his start as a designer and why being shameless helped open new doors.

What I do

How would you describe what you do?
I design stuff that hurts peoples’ eyes (in a good way).

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
I used to hoard a lot of really cheap toys from Vietnamese value stores that sold knockoff versions of the originals, and I always loved how crazy the designs of those things were. I also really love the design of pachinko machines.

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
Not formally. I was definitely trained in my own way. As a kid, I collected everything from candy wrappers and shoe boxes to lottery tickets - basically, anything I thought looked cool. I still go to estate sales and scoop up odd ephemera, busted toys, old bags, weird books and more. Over time, I’ve had to Marie Kondo myself out of hoarding. But that’s also become a way to refine my tastes and figure out what’s actually worth keeping. That constant filtering taught me how to curate.

What’s been your favorite project to work on from the past year, and why?
I really enjoyed designing the website for Escargot. A lot of tech companies have boring websites – think clean layouts, muted palettes, lots of sans-serif humility – as they convert better and relay information more clearly. But as an early-stage company, we had the freedom to be loud, weird, and memorable. It was a chance to break the mold and have fun doing it.

What does a normal day-to-day usually look like for you?
No day is really the same, which is the fun part. Some days, I’m deep in UI design or new product features; other days, I’m designing greeting cards or doing creative direction for marketing stunts. I bounce between product and brand design, which keeps things spicy.

How I got here

What was your journey like when you were first starting out in your career?
I started designing pretty early, having made clothes when I was younger – but I really got into digital design in high school. I started posting edits and graphics on Tumblr for fun, some of which actually did well. That snowballed into part-time jobs, usually in hybrid roles doing both social media and design.

How did you go about landing your first few jobs, clients and/or commissions?
It involved a lot of posting about my work on social media (mostly Tumblr) and reaching out to people through cold emails. There’s no secret sauce to this, really. Just try to put yourself out there as much as you can.

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
Keeping up to date with programs. It feels like I discover a new tool that threatens my career every day, but I’m confident enough in my tastes, instincts and creative thinking that it doesn’t faze me anymore.

What skills from your creative work have you found helpful — and vice versa?
I used to work as a tailor, and the hands-on, detail-driven way of thinking I developed there definitely carried over into my digital work. On the other hand, I’ve been doing so much graphic design lately that it's actually become easier for me to come up with ideas when drafting patterns for clothes. It all loops back.

How important are social media and self-promotion to your work?
I don’t post about my work much these days – but honestly, I wish I would more often. I used to when I was younger. If you’re starting out, I think posting your work and promoting yourself is important. Closed mouths don’t get fed.

What are three things that you’ve found useful to your work or career, and why?
Estate sales, peach rings, and a really good pen. Estate sales are treasure troves for design inspiration and odd conversations. Peach rings keep me awake (I don’t drink coffee). And a good pen makes me want to draw, which always leads to something.

What have been your greatest learnings with making money and supporting yourself as a creative?
Ask everyone how much they make! Early in my career, I used to charge a really low rate – and because my rate was so low, it just seemed like I didn’t know what I was doing. 

Advice

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
Be shameless. Cold email people. Follow up. Make friends. Try weird stuff. The moment I stopped caring about how I looked, everything started snowballing for me.

Where do you go to feel connected as a creative?
The park. Where I used to live, there was this nice quiet park that I would always take walks in, especially during sunset. I think most of my problems in life were solved by a walk in that park.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into a similar role?
Get scrappy. Be resourceful about how you present your work, especially if you’re just starting out. Also, consume tons of media, but balance it out by spending time away from screens so you can think clearly and originally.