CREATIVE DIRECTOR
FORSMAN & BODENFORS
NEW YORK NY
Sarah Ratinetz is a Creative Director, Art at the global collective Forsman and Bodenfors and is based in New York City. From Fortune 500s to start-ups, Sarah leads with a craft-driven approach to solving complex business problems. Working at agencies big and small, she brings over 12 years of experience to creative teams and her clients. Her client experience spans a variety of categories including global finance and banking, CPG, alcohol, tech, fashion, healthcare, and DTC brands. Her work has been recognized by the Art Directors Club, Harvard Business Review, the Webby Awards, and the TikTok Awards. Sarah graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York with a BFA in Communication Design. She gains constant inspiration from New York’s ever-changing creative landscape.
Looking forward to 2023, are you optimistic about the role and impact of Graphic Design and Visual Communication in Business? Culture? Causes? Have the events and disruptions of the past few years changed the role or trajectory of Graphic Design?
I’m incredibly optimistic about the role of graphic design in 2023. The collective awareness of design and its impact has never been greater. We are routinely interacting with branding and design systems via consumer products, software, and social media. These interactions are improving our lives, solving problems, and keeping us more informed.
More than anything, I’ve been inspired over the last few years by those who have used visual communication and design to support larger discussions of social change. Graphic Design will always be a medium and platform for driving awareness and creating conversations.
Most influential graphic designer(s) or art directors(s) of the past 60 years? Of today?
Michael Bierut’s human approach to creativity has taught a generation that graphic design is a language and a tool of communication. It’s vital to our lives and it can solve very real problems.
I was introduced to Bierut’s work as a Communication Design student when I had the opportunity to attend a guest lecture he was giving. It became a defining moment in my education and career.
As a proud New Yorker, I also love how embedded Bierut’s work is in the fabric of the city. Whenever I need a boost, I’ll rewatch his TED Talk, “How to Design a Library that Makes Kids Want to Read”.
Most influential product, service or technology of the past 60 years?
TikTok has made the world feel bigger and smaller at the same time. It has completely changed the way we communicate, both online and “IRL.” It has connected us to people and communities we didn’t know we needed to be a part of.
