WinshipPhillips: Life By Design

By Noelle Bartl

Imagine growing up in the small village of Tularosa, New Mexico (population 2,800) in the shadows of the Sacramento Mountains and being told by your high school counselor, “You aren’t college material.” You’ve been raised on your grandparents’ farm, not knowing that you could question your counselor’s advice to pursue a technical vocation as an auto mechanic.

Your friends prepare to go to college while you continue to draw and sketch in your free time until graduation. Then, while framing some of your artwork at a shop in Alamogordo, the owner asks, “Are you an art major? If not, you should be! You can major in art at ENMU.”

And that clandestine conversation changes your life path forever.

Ken and Becky Phillips in 1983.

This is exactly what happened to Ken Phillips (BS 82) who never knew one could study art in college. He packed up and drove to Portales to earn a degree in commercial art with a minor in drafting from ENMU.

Now, imagine growing up on the other side of the world, where sandy beaches and coconut palm trees are the norm. Ken’s fellow classmate Becky Winship (BFA 82) was born on the island of Cebu in the Philippines, where her parents were missionaries. At 8 years old, Becky’s family moved to the United States.

Similar to Ken, Becky enjoyed drawing, sketching and “art of any kind.” Her Portales High School art teacher was instrumental in guiding her to ENMU’s commercial art program where she focused on illustration and package design, as well as a minor in marketing.

After graduation, Ken and Becky both moved to Texas. They began dating which led to marriage, and the two made their home in Dallas. For six years, Becky worked for a small design firm that created collateral and packaging for various clients including Frito-Lay. While working there, she created an illustration that was on the back of Funyuns bags for over 20 years! She jokes that this is her “claim to fame.”

Her job, however, included crazy hours and little pay, soto allow for more creative opportunities, Becky startedher own freelance design firm. Her clients includedJCPenney, various non-profits and healthcare leaders.

WinshipPhillips is the creative partnership of Ken Phillips and Becky Winship Phillips (pictured). The creative firm has been recognized by the Dallas Ad League, Press Club of Dallas, American Advertising Federation, International Association of Business Communicators and many more.

Meanwhile, in 1989 Ken and a colleague opened anadvertising and design agency called Griffith PhillipsCreative, Inc. During the 14 years under Ken’s creativeleadership, their clients included mobile giantsVerizon, Sprint and Northern Telecom to name a few. In2002, Adweek Magazine named the firm #33 of the Top50 Agencies in the Southwest. Ken often hired Becky asa freelance designer to work on client projects.

Realizing they worked well as a team, Ken and Beckystarted their own firm, WinshipPhillips, in 2003.Together they handle a multitude of projects includingcorporate identity, advertising, graphic design andcorporate communication solutions for clients in thenon-profit, healthcare and fine art arenas, as well asprint and exhibition projects for galleries and museums.

After 33 years in Dallas, the couple relocated theirbusiness to Santa Fe, New Mexico where they retainedmost of their Texas clients and gained new ones.Together their work has been featured in Adweek,Communication Arts, Print, Graphic Design USA – Peopleto Watch, Dynamic Graphics, HOW, LogoLounge and more.

Ken and Becky believe the creative process should befun. That perspective is the basis for their long-termclient relationships and success.