At NMCO, not only are we celebrating the women in our community for Women’s History Month, like with our Desert Heroines project, but we also want to creatively honor the women in our industry who are making a big impact in film, advertising, design, and web.
NMCO Pays Homage to Women’s History Month Through Powerful Illustrations
In these industries, women are forging their own paths and leaving a mark. The goal of this project was to think of a unique way to represent the impact and success that these women have in each field. The concept is simple yet powerful, depicting a series of illustrations that portray these women in action and marching towards their success. “These Boots are Made for Marchin’” is a unique play on words, referencing the iconic song by Nancy Sinatra. This title reflects the symbolic nature of “marching towards success” and honoring March as the month for women’s recognition. By distorting body proportions to emphasize oversized feet, we draw attention to the symbolic “boots” these women wore on their journey. The larger-than-life feet serve as a metaphor for the significant strides they made in their fields. The vibrant color schemes and funky feel of these illustrations reflect the possibilities of the creative world and complement the rigorous feats these women have conquered to make a name for themselves.
Celebrating Women in Film
Women’s employment in the film industry remains astonishingly low. According to Forbes, in 2022, women comprised only 24% of directors, writers, producers, editors, and cinematographers working in the field. Though this fact remains, the rise of women in the film industry is undeniable. In 2023, women producers and directors made 23 cents more per dollar than men. The change is happening, and women are becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world of filmmaking.
Greta Gerwig is an American writer, director, and actress. She became known for her radiant performances in independent films and eventually embarked on a successful career as a filmmaker. She has three feature-length films under her belt, including Lady Bird (2017), Little Women (2019), and Barbie (2023), which all received rave reviews and proved successful. Gerwig made history with her 2023 film Barbie, as it became the highest-grossing film of all time by a solo female director. She has received 48 awards, including Academy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe recognition. Gerwig is rewriting what it means to be a woman in the film industry with her groundbreaking success that continues to grow.
Angeles Cruz is a Mexican actress, film director, and screenwriter. Her work focuses on themes of ostracization, female sexuality, and gender violence. Cruz got her start in cinema by gaining roles in film and television. She later began writing her own stories and directing shorts which grew into feature-length films. This success has garnered Cruz 7 awards, including Ariel Award recognition. Cruz proves that stereotypes and prejudices won’t stop her success and expresses that her indigenous, female, LGBTQ+ identity fuels her passion for making films that tackle these topics. With her powerful themes and creative voice, she is an inspiration to women in film.
Recognizing Women in Advertising
Advertising is a rigorous field consisting of dedicated and creative individuals. The number of female employees increased by 24.1% from 2021 to 2022. Women roughly account for 54.8% of the total employee base in advertising. Women are taking the lead in advertising and proving highly successful in the field.
Mary Wells Lawrence is an American retired advertising executive. She was the founding president of Wells, Rich, Greene, an advertising agency known for its creative work. Lawrence was the first female CEO of a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. She has had various recognitions during her life, including being the youngest member to be inducted into the Copywriters Hall of Fame, awarded 1971 Advertising Woman of the Year, and recipient of the Golden Plate Award. By 1969, Lawrence was reported to be the highest-paid executive in advertising. She has had an extremely impressive and successful career and has paved the way for females to take the lead in the advertising field.
Tiger Savage is a British advertising creative director and founding Director of Savage & King Lt. She favors a one-on-one approach to projects and works very closely with her clients. Savage is known for working with well-known companies, such as Adidas, Coca-Cola, Levi’s, British Airways, and more. She is the creator of the famous “The Lynx Effect”, which was originally a fragrance campaign for Unilever. Her creative skills and strategy are boundless, and she stops at nothing to prove her talent.
Honoring Women in Design
Women make up more than half of the design industry, but so few are at the top. Women are the chief executives of just 22 of the 500 most profitable companies in the United States. The rate of female creative directors across the industry rose from 3% in 2008 to 29%. While these numbers are not the end goal, they show a staggering momentum for change and progress.
Paula Scher is an American graphic designer, painter, and art educator in design. She also served as the first female principal at Pentagram. She is known for her work with various big-name companies and organizations, such as Adobe, Walt Disney Company, Coca-Cola, Tiffany & Co., The New York Times, and more. She began her career as an art director and found her voice through her eclectic approach to typography. Scher has received hundreds of awards, and her work has been exhibited worldwide. She is a landmark in the world of graphic design and is known for her impressive success.
Carolyn Davidson is an American graphic designer. She was a journalism major in school but found her love for design after taking a course to fill an empty elective. She was hired by Blue Ribbon Sports (later rebranded as Nike) and was tasked with designing a logo for a new line of running shoes. After drawing out ideas on a piece of tissue paper over a drawing of a shoe, the iconic Nike Swoosh was born, with inspiration from the Greek goddess of victory. Davidson was paid $35 for this design and has received stock shares, elaborate gifts, and widespread recognition from Nike since then. Known as the “logo lady”, Davidson proves that a small job can grow into something great.
Commemorating Women in Web
Other creative fields can’t compare to web when it comes to shocking statistics. 91% of web developers are male and women only claim 26.7% of jobs across all tech-related fields. Women in web offer a unique perspective to the field, and while the percentages are drastic, some of today’s top web leaders are female. Throughout history, women have been major contributors to tech-related careers.
Kriss Rowry is an American web designer and brand strategist. She is an expert in online marketing and focuses on crafting “online homes” for remarkable women that generate ongoing revenue and success. She is the founder of her design agency, known as Kriss Did It. Rowry has an impressive portfolio and has worked with notable clients, such as Estee Lauder, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Free People, Janet Mock, and more. She has been featured in Forbes and her work was incorporated into Issa Rae’s HBO show, Insecure (2016-2021). Rowry proves that an online presence is necessary for a brand, and she leaves her clients more than impressed.
Kristin Pruis is an American brand and web designer. She is the owner of K Design Co. and is an avid believer in the importance of cohesive and impressive websites. Coined as the “quiet girl with loud ideas” she has an impressive portfolio filled with clean, fresh web designs that reflect her seamless talent. Her clients have been featured on The Today Show, Entrepreneur Magazine, and TEDx. Pruis is paving her path in the web design field and making a name for herself and her company.
Lynn Fisher is an American designer, CSS developer, and illustrator. She has an impressive knack for creating unique websites with playful elements and interactive themes. Her projects have been featured by CNN, NPR, Vox, and Entertainment Weekly. Fisher has a collection of bizarre and oddly specific projects that show the creative inner workings of her mind. She exposes the creative and artistic side of web development and sparks inspiration through her work.
“March” with Women in the Creative Industry and Celebrate Women’s History Month
We wanted to shine a spotlight on women who have forged a path in the creative world. At NMCO, we look to these women as an inspiration and recognize the hard work and impressive talent that they have brought to their respective fields. “These Boots are Made for Marchin’” was a unique project that creatively showcased a few of the many female powerhouses in film, advertising, design, and web. We are proud to celebrate Women’s History Month and excited to march forward and amplify the voices and contributions of women in the creative industry.
Keep the celebration going by heading over to our Shop and get these artworks for FREE as a cool phone wallpaper!
