Zach Horst

Zach Horst has been designing for more than a decade. Whether for clients or his own personal projects, his signature style and eye-catching lettering shine through all of his work. As brand manager for McGuire Moorman Hospitality (MMH), he helped many of our favorite Austin restaurants and businesses transition to digital offerings in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

While social distancing, Horst has been intentional about using art “as an outlet for creating without being bound by rules.” With the unpredictability of his current responsibilities at MMH, Horst picked up a previous personal project, a flower alphabet. A self-proclaimed “history nerd,” Horst uses the flower alphabet as a way to experiment with and reference different lettering styles, which in turn influences the color palette and how he represents each flower.

“The key is creating for funsies,” he says. “My rule right now is that it’s for myself. There’s no brief. It’s colorful. It’s flowers because I love flowers. It’s something happy.”

Horst hopes his art not only brings joy, but provides a break from the seemingly endless onslaught of news and anxiety on social media. His flower alphabet took over his Instagram account (@ZacharyHorst) and brightened up his followers’ feeds.

“The biggest thing I’m relearning right now is how important it is to do work that’s not for anyone else,” Horst shares. “It helps you establish your style .”

Meanwhile, he’s also participating in R/GA’s Merch Aid campaign, a local initiative formed to support businesses by enlisting artists to design custom merchandise. Horst picked his favorite local business, Room Service Vintage, creating colorful prints and T-shirts available for purchase.