Professional overview After graduating from
Art Center in 1963, Hinrichs served in the
Marine Corps. Hinrichs then moved to New York and, after a few years, partnered with Anthony Russell to form Russell and Hinrichs, an independent design consultancy. Seven years later, Hinrichs and his wife, Linda Hinrichs, established Hinrichs Design Associates In 1986 the San Francisco office merged with
Pentagram and Hinrichs became a partner at Pentagram. In 2009, Hinrichs founded Studio Hinrichs, an independent design firm in San Francisco, California. Design Within Reach, Crocker Bank,
Transamerica,
Sony Metreon Entertainment Complex, United Airlines'
Hemispheres Magazine, Simpson Paper,
Sappi Fine Paper,
Muzak,
Gymboree,
University of Southern California,
Safeco,
Museum of Glass,
Symantec,
KQED, the
San Francisco Zoo,
Restoration Hardware,
Columbus Salame, and many more. Hinrichs is the co-author of seven books:
Vegetables,
Stars & Stripes: Ninety-six Top Designers and Graphic Artists Offer Their Personal Interpretations of Old Glory,
TypeWise,
Long May She Wave: A Graphic History of the American Flag,
The Pentagram Papers: A Collection of Thirty-six Papers, 100 American Flags: A Unique Collection of Old Glory Memorabilia, and
100 Baseball Icons: From the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Archive. He also co-founded
@Issue: The Journal of Business and Design with Delphine Hirasuna.
Visual storytelling Philip B. Meggs and
Alston W. Purvis describe Hinrichs as a "visual storyteller" whose "designs are distinguished by a keen understanding of the narrative and abundant interpretations on a theme." In 1994,
Potlatch papers agreed to underwrite the project, and in 1995 the Corporate Design Foundation became involved as the official publisher of
@Issue: The Journal of Business and Design. and includes case studies, interviews, and articles about client-designer collaborations. In 2006,
@Issue's circulation (available only by subscription) reached 100,000, and a spinoff conference was started. In 2009,
@Issue transformed from a printed publication to a digital platform. == American Flag and Memorabilia Collection ==