Biography
Claire Henry is a Kansas City based graphic designer and the founder of Pixel & Print Studio, a brand design studio she launched while earning her M.A. in Graphic and Web Design at MCAD. She specializes in handcrafted branding, packaging, and illustration. Claire’s work blends craftsmanship with conviction , earning her honors like a 2024 AIGA Design Award and a feature from Adobe during Kansas City Design Week in 2025. She’s passionate about human-centered design that resonates with conscious consumers and is excited to grow her career with the expanded skill set she developed at MCAD.
Work Statement:
My design philosophy centers on re-approaching traditional design through handcrafted methods, the methodology that has driven my most impactful work at MCAD and shaped my approach to creative problem-solving and critical thinking.
Although evidence of it existed before, this philosophy solidified during my "Save Our Forests" project, where I learned to make ink and paper from found materials. The challenges of working with handmade ink and paper taught me to focus on every detail. The constraints became catalysts for more thoughtful design decisions. Now, as a self-employed designer running a small branding studio, I’m more careful when considering where and how my design work gets printed, and then where it goes.
My handcrafted approach has solved challenging real-world problems. When I took on the task of rebranding sardines, a product often known for being gross and polarizing, I created "Dearly Departed Sardine Company" using hand-drawn elements that embraced dark humor and transformed routine shopping into a discovery.
My philosophy helped me earn recognition with an AIGA Design Award for my "Duke's Dogs" restaurant identity. Funky logos and detailed ingredient illustrations communicated authenticity and inclusivity which are values that resonate with conscious consumers. The nostalgic yet approachable brand demonstrates how crafted elements can solve modern branding challenges.
My approach to web design and development follows the same mindset. "Dungeon Jump," an arcade-style browser game I made this past semester, blends custom illustrated assets with interactive code, showing that even in technical spaces, a personal touch makes all the difference.
I'm driven by finding unexpected solutions. My handcrafted approach isn't just aesthetic, it's a problem-solving system that encourages experimentation and prioritizes being imperfectly human. My philosophy positions me to push boundaries while inspiring others to reconsider their creative processes, demonstrating that sometimes the cutting-edge approach is simply returning to our hands.