Bernardo Henning on color, chaos, and creating movement in the static.
When you look at Bernardo’s work, you immediately notice the energy. The colors. The velocity of the brushstrokes. The dynamism. The boldness. The spontaneity. His pièce de résistance is bringing movement to the static.
And that immediacy of his work is also reflected in his process. "I find it difficult to imagine a piece through structural lines alone," he says. "Color is such an important part of my work. I prefer to get as close as possible to the final artwork right from the very start. Sometimes it’s a surprise for a client, seeing everything come together at once, but it gives you that immediate emotional response."
Born in Argentina, he moved from a small town to the big city to study, and started working as a designer at a very young age. Even as his work has evolved over the years, he remains as inspired by the bright, bold colors and relentless hustle of the city as he was at the start. “I always say that my work is about bringing order to chaos. We live in a city that's chaotic but beautiful at the same time, and I think that's exactly what happens in my work.”
“My creative process tends to be pretty frantic and spontaneous. I don't plan everything too much. I just follow my instincts.”
To stay sharp, Bernardo keeps busy and broadens his perspective through visual culture, imagery and trends, as well as traveling for creative projects. “I love looking at things, and I'm a very curious person. I think that curiosity is essential to staying fresh and keeping up with the industry. It also helps me constantly evolve my own style, so I feel like I’m always finding new ground.”
At the heart of Bernardo’s work is an obsession with human energy, form, and athletic dynamism. Inspired by movement and nature, Bernardo naturally gravitates towards the worlds of sport and fashion. “I have quite a few dream projects in mind. Working with Formula 1, designing for a tennis Grand Slam, and of course, something related to football” he says. “I'd also love to create entire product lines featuring my own style, whether that's home decor objects or a full fashion collection.”
"Movement is what inspires me," Bernardo says. "When I look at a photograph, I almost instantly know what I want to do with it, what I can add to transform that still image and give it a different meaning. You can already feel so much energy in a great photograph. I just look at the image and start working on whatever I feel I could add."
“I try to stay true to a few basic principles: structure, color, free-flowing strokes, and a kind of organized chaos that brings together energy and movement,” Bernardo explains. “I'm gradually moving my style more towards digital collage, collaborating with photographers, integrating typography into my work, and sometimes experimenting with more abstract approaches, all to expand what's possible within my own visual language.”
Bernardo’s real commercial value lies in how skillfully he balances his creative freedom with a brand’s existing guidelines. "I really enjoy collaborating with brands because they push my style into places it wouldn't naturally go," he says. "Sometimes it's about working within a strict color palette, or exercising a more controlled kind of freedom. My style can stretch and adapt. Sometimes it's good to dial down all that energy and use it in smaller doses. I naturally tend to overload my compositions, but learning to restrain that energy can actually give a simpler design a much bigger impact."
That strategic adaptability can also be seen across his commercial portfolio. For John Lewis, he designed a playful children's collection, working across the entire creative lifecycle, translating artwork onto physical fabrics and creating interactive, tactile props for the launch photoshoot. For TED Talks, his signature artwork was expanded into a massive, cohesive visual identity system applied across digital, print, and environmental touchpoints.
By building intentional, curated color systems, Bernardo makes sure that even when adjusting his volume to fit a client’s brand guidelines, what he makes remains instantly recognizable as his own style.
"Craft is really important to me because that's where everything started," he says. "At school, I used to draw all over my desk every single day. At university, we painted walls and made everything by hand. That hands-on approach left a huge mark. I love drawing, and I really trust my first stroke. Whatever comes straight from my mind onto the paper is something I immediately respect."
That respect for initial intuition carries into client discovery. During initial brief meetings, Bernardo translates ideas into quick, energetic notes and sketches, before moving straight into full color. For brands, working in this way gives them an immediate visual reality to look at. Working digitally allows Bernardo to combine photo cutouts, rich palettes, and tactile brushwork at speed. "I'm an impatient person, so the immediate feedback that digital tools give me really suits how I work," he shares. "It gives clients that instant emotional impact, showing how the final artwork will actually feel."
What’s next in the pipeline for Bernardo? The real world. He’s focused on taking his work off screens and bringing it into real-world environments.
“I'm always looking for opportunities to collaborate with brands and take my work further. I want to create tangible things, things that move around the city, things that exist beyond a screen.”
For brands wanting something truly wild, bold and somehow totally moving, Bernardo is in that sweet spot between raw, untamed creative firepower and real, disciplined commercial know-how.
"I'll keep doing this until I get bored," he smiles. "But right now, I'm more inspired than ever."
