Drawing on over 20 years of experience in the advertising and creative services industries, Hilary Lentini possesses both a creative flair and solid business acumen. She enjoys the challenge of creating unique solutions for her clients’ design needs, always resulting in original and compelling campaigns and projects that drive their objectives. Her firm operates as a virtual marketing department for non-profit, government agency, and public sector clients across the country. From branding to web design and development to social media and print campaigns, Hilary values communication and collaboration – knowing these are the keys to her clients’ marketing successes. This desire to merge the strategic with the creative has allowed Hilary and her team the opportunity to create award-winning work for a wide range of clients, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, University of California, Irvine, Angel City Press, California Construction Expo, Alzheimer’s Association Orange County Chapter, to name a few. Hilary is an active member of the National Association of Women Business Owners Los Angeles Chapter (NAWBO-LA), the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW), and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.
What advice would you give a young designer just starting out?
Never underestimate the importance of your ability to adapt. Adaptability has been vital for me in building long-time partnerships with clients and expanding Lentini Design’s core competencies. When I began my career, computers weren’t event around; now we design and build more websites than anything, many of which I program.
How does where you were born, grew up or live effect your design sensibility or style?
I grew up in Chicago and came to L.A. in 1996. Growing up in the Midwest gave me a strong work ethic which has helped me immensely here on the West Coast. Living in L.A. has sharpened my design sensibility and allowed me to be as creative as I want to be. L.A. is all about fresh and new, so I don’t hold myself back on ideas.
FAVORITE COLOR?
Red: the color of action, passion and energy
FAVORITE TYPEFACE?
Helvetica Neue – there’s a reason it’s a classic
FAVORITE APP?
Skype – its how I connect with my off-site team
FAVORITE WEBSITES?
CNN.com (I’m a news junkie)
FAVORITE TV SHOW?
The Profit
FAVORITE BOOKS?
Lately I’m into magazines: Vanity Fair, Wired, National Geographic
FAVORITE MOVIES?
Star Wars – and it started an entire genre of Hero Journey movies.
FAVORITE MUSICIANS OR BANDS?
To design to: Cold Play, One Republic; for programming: absolute quiet.
FAVORITE FINE ARTISTS?
Monet, Manet, Picasso, Pollock, Rothko, Johns
GREATEST STRENGTH AS A DESIGNER?
The ability to dispassionately critique my own work as if it’s someone else’s. A blessing and a curse!
WEAKNESS?
Same
TALENT YOU WISHED YOU POSSESSED?
The ability not to sleep
IF YOU WERE NOT A DESIGNER, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
Painter or architect
A MANTRA OR SAYING YOU LIVE BY?
Life’s Too Short