How Creative Director Ande Campbell Hubbard Leads at Planned Parenthood
Ande Campbell Hubbard leads the creative direction for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading provider of high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care for all people. Photo by Maeva Komenan, courtesy of Hubbard.
When Creative Director of Planned Parenthood Ande Campbell Hubbard passes by street art on the city blocks of New York, she snaps photos of messages that resonate: Power to the People, Love is a Revolution, Trust Women. It’s powerful statements like these from New Yorkers that inform her line of work, where she blends captivating designs with the organization’s health-focused mission to build a world where citizens can make real choices.
“I work with some of the most brilliant minds and dedicated fighters I’ve ever met,” Hubbard says. “Add those ingredients to the need to provide health care and education services in a non-judgmental, and expert way — it keeps you engaged in the work and doing it for the patients and supporters.”
Here, Hubbard shares how she leads the creative direction for Planned Parenthood, including why she listens to a diverse mix of songs based on the mood or the project she is designing for; how she spends her time during her New York subway commute; and her practice of problem solving and designing better solutions for the world.
1. Rise and Shine
For me it is seasonal. In the winter, it is very hard to get up. In the summer, very hard to stay asleep. With the sky getting light so early, I’ve been waking up in the 4-5 a.m. timeframe. But I end up laying there, thinking on all the things until I wake up around 6:30 a.m. Walk the kiddo to school, which is one of my favorite times of the day as we have about 10-12 minutes to chat and sometimes walk with other families we meet up with along the way. Off to the subway where I listen to NPR’s daily podcast on the way to the office. Stop by my favorite coffee cart where you can still get a coffee for $1.50. Then off to the races.
2. Work Uniform
Pre-Covid I actually wore heels and dresses, but now I can’t imagine doing that everyday! When I’m in the office, casual pants, comfy shoes, and a sweater for the air conditioning. When working from home, jeans and a t-shirt. But one thing that hasn’t changed post-Covid is wearing the color black — this is still New York afterall.
3. How I Structure My Day
With the shift to remote work, I have many more West Coast colleagues than I did in the past. As a result, the majority of meetings occur in the afternoon, leaving the morning a good time for focused work and catching up on emails.
4. Playlist Favorites
I love typing in a song that is in my head into YouTube Music and seeing where the playlist takes me. I recently discovered Bombay Bicycle Club this way, and now that is in rotation. Keeping a diverse mix going based on mood or the project I’m designing for is key. The old standards for me are New Order, The Cure, and Joy Division. But you can find me listening to ’90s R&B + hip hop, Brazilian jazz, ’90s grunge rock, bluegrass, etc. I’ve also started a monthly LP subscription through Vinyl Moon that keeps new hits + awesome artwork coming my way.
5. Tools of the Trade
For communication, Slack, Gmail, Gchat, Google Docs and slide decks — lots and lots of those. For design, Adobe Acrobat, Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma. I also have the Notes app open so I can copy and paste notes or links from virtual meeting chat spaces, jot down quick thoughts or to-dos, short lists of people to catch up with etc. It’s like a virtual version of my brain that changes throughout the day or week. I also love a good #2 pencil and paper for quick sketches.
6. Dream Studio
A HUGE window the length of the front of the space, with lots and lots of natural light and sky lights. I need a constant connection to the outside to feel inspired. A few people in the space milling about. I need human connection and interaction — it makes the work stronger and less stressful when others are involved and I’m not working in isolation. Big wooden work tables for drawing and collaboration. There would be a letterpress or C&P in the corner and an old-school color xerox machine. And if we are going big, a separate space out back for a small clay studio with throwing wheels and a kiln.
7. One Unique Thing About My Work Process…
Probably not that unique, but when working on a new logo, campaign mark, or design aesthetic, I iterate very quickly — duplicate and adjust small things in very fast versions to see what sticks and how things can evolve.
8. Mantra
Keep on the sunny side. I always try to look for the good in a situation or the strength of a project: where are the bright spots of energy to tap into and see things forward? Also, my mom’s mantra, “this soon shall pass.” It is a good reminder, for better or worse, the current “thing” will not be around too long, so seize the moment before it passes by. Just try it, do the thing that needs to be done.
9. My Brightest Idea That Never Saw the Light of Day
In my early career, lots and lots of logos! In my current mindset, I have a long list — if anyone needs a business idea hit me up! I’m always problem solving and trying to design better solutions in my head for the things around me. Like going to the gas station — why do we have so many individual plastic jugs for window washer fluid? Why can’t each gas station have a large container that gets filled up where you pay to siphon from, just like you do for air for your tires? It would save so much plastic production.
10. To-Do List Item That Keeps Me Up at Night
Too many to name. But I often find that 3-5 a.m. wake ups are a healthy (or unhealthy?) balance of stress (and hopefully brilliance). Sometimes my best solutions or sense of clarity come from those hours.
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