When you walk through the doors of any Wieden+Kennedy office you don't see awards, you see portraits of the people that work there. So in 2019, Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai revamped their portraits with a concept titled “HOMETOWN FOOD FACE”.

The idea was simple: each employee selects food from their hometown, consults an art director or designer, then crafts a costume that highlights their favorite food and their face. Because Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai is a cultural melting pot, the imagery is richly diverse and filled with personality.

The art direction and photography was done 100% in house. Above all, we wanted the portraits to be colorful and fun – with simple studio lighting to let the exquisitely handcrafted costumes and employees’ faces shine brightly.

“When people ask us what W+K Shanghai feels like we describe it as a “hot pot”, where oddballs from all over the world gather, each pouring in their unique flavors. It's what makes this place special. So when it came to our office portraits there was nothing better than each of our home town foods to showcase how diverse we are.” – ECD Vivian Yong

“WKSH is a colorful place to work and our goal is to create our own special kind of W+K magic here in Shanghai. Our creative culture is experimental and undefined. Every day we have the freedom to choose what we look, smell and taste like. – ECD Ian Toombs

One employee from Beijing created a regal portrait with the local style of hotpot. Another employee from Qingdao created a beautiful tiara from seafood. An employee from Shanghai used the city’s famous “hairy crabs” as hairpieces.

The result was a lively and delicious in-house gallery of portraits worthy of Michelin Stars.

About W+K Shanghai

Wieden+Kennedy is an independent, creatively driven advertising agency that creates strong and provocative relationships between good companies and their customers. Founded in 2005, W+K Shanghai is dedicated to connecting China to the world through innovative and powerful ideas. Our clients include Nike, Converse, Corona, Ikea, HP Omen and OPPO.