Unfinished Legacy
For Toyota, I was asked to commemorate two of their most tenured agencies, Intertrend and Burrell, for their 30th and 50th anniversaries, respectively.
Creative Director: Matt Davis
Art Director: Denzell Newsome
Producer: Carmen Lam
Burrell
Burrell is an agency founded in Chicago by Thomas Burrell that specializes in communicating to the African American market. I worked together with them on several projects and they consistently produced relevant and impactful work. Also, it is one of the few predominantly Black agencies which, as a Black creative, is incredibly inspiring to see.
Intertrend
Intertrend is a predominantly Asian agency founded by Julia Huang in Long Beach, CA over 30 years ago. She is still affiliated with the agency and oversees all of the great work that comes out of Intertrend today. Intertrend’s knowledge of the Japanese Domestic Market car culture has led to some of the best commercials for Toyota.
The Artists
The Artists
We chose artists, Phung Huynh, to create the artwork for Intertrend. She's an incredible traditional artist based in LA.
For the Burrell art piece, I chose Temi Coker, an artist out of Dallas, to create it. He's done work for brands like Nike, The Oscars, and more.
Our Creation
Our Creation
Temi Coker
Unfinished Story, 2022
Commissioned by Toyota in October 2021
Digital media, printed on Acrylic
The figures in the foreground symbolize the African American community that Burrell proudly represents, extending beyond the background of the Chicago map because, although the agency started there, their impact is felt far beyond the city limits. The colors, textures, and fabrics represent the diverse history of African Americans. The background doesn’t quite reach the edge of the frame because the story of Burrell is unfinished as they will continue to grow and hit new milestones.
Phung Huynh
Unfinished Story, 2022
Oil paint, acrylic paint, and graphite on wood
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Intertrend, artist Phung Huynh was commissioned by Toyota to create a portrait of its founder, Julia Huang. The artist met and interviewed Ms. Huang and was inspired by her story, resilience, innovative vision, and inspiration to her staff and AAPI community. She is a beloved and brilliant leader who approaches her successful advertising firm not as a brand but as a nurturing space that cultivates a culture of building community with a shared vision. The portrait centers on Ms. Huang’s generous and optimistic spirit who looks into the future. Her favorite flowers, peonies, surround the background of the painting and intentionally left unpainted to symbolize that the incredible work of Julia Huang is not yet finished, and her influence will continue to thrive.