Maya Coplin
Designer / Photographer / Art Director
Austin, TX
New York
www.mayacoplin.com
instagram @mayacphotography
Q What do you do?
“I am a designer and photographer with an affinity for storytelling. ”
My work focuses on bringing brands to life holistically with a distinct point of view. I am a huge slashie; brand design, editorial design, art direction, and photography are all part of my practice and I love anytime I can combine a few of them. I am influenced by my growing collection of print magazines and being a native Austinite.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I think I have always been drawn to graphic design and photography even before I knew the language for what I was doing. In college, I majored in design, worked at my school’s magazines, and actually learned how to use Adobe.
While I may not have seen it at the time, it is easy now to see a common thread through all of my work. I liked communicating stories to an audience either through making logos for friends’ businesses, coming up with editorial photoshoots, or making zines. All of the skills I learned, I bring into what I do now along with the scrappiness needed to get a project DONE!
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I focus on collaborating with my clients by digging into their business’ values, mission, and background to create a visual identity that feels authentic to the brand, not something solely based off of ~aesthetics~. I am invested in helping small businesses build bold brands within their community.
Q What are you working on right now?
Besides my 9-5 I’m working on:
Branding for a muralist (logos, colors, photography, + a pod cover!)
Designing a book honoring the author's grandmother. Picking colors, typefaces, and all that good stuff!
Art directing/photographing promo for a drag show + making some posters. If you’re in Austin keep a lookout for the show!
Q What’s your style?
I love to bring bold typography and bright colors into all my work. Other than that I let the tone of the piece dictate the style of the work. I typically try to create projects that are at the intersection of community, entrepreneurship, and personal style.
Peep ORANGE Magazine on my website for insight into one of my favorite projects to date.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I want to spend more time working with small businesses to achieve their branding goals! I love helping a small business get their start with a killer vis id and a bold new photoshoot.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Not being able to collaborate in person is frustrating. I like being able to chat with other designers and to bounce ideas off of each other. Plus I miss group snack runs and office ping pong matches.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Tbh I would love someone to help out with cooking.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I wish I could have told the college freshman year me to email as many people as possible. Reaching out to creatives opens up a whole new world of resources and collaborators. A lot of the time they will respond and you can form genuine connections with them.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I would love to talk to experts who run their own design practices. I want to know how they find clients, how they delegate, and how they collaborate. How do they balance the business and the art. I am also interested in talking to multi hyphenates, I want to know how designers can keep up with photography and art direction work. And as buzzy as it is, I am also interested in how these experts prevent burnout and stay creative. Everyone’s talking about it because everyones being affected by it right?
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Right now I am open to any and all branding projects, art direction, and even a photoshoot if you are in Austin or NY! Bonus points for small businesses/artists/nonprofits.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
My ideal clients are collaborators. I want to build something with my clients where both of our visions can come to fruition. I would love to work with fashion brands, podcasters, musicians, or restaurants. Anyone who is impacting their community in a positive way and making cool sh*t!
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Emailing me at mayaaviv98@gmail.com is best. (I am one of the weirdos that keeps my inbox at 0 so I will see your email.) Please include your budget, a brief description of the project, and your scope. If you feel like it, send along a funny gif, song you’ve been loving, or TV show recommendation.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Jane Claire Hervey has provided a great roadmap for what a good leader is. She has demonstrated how to create a community that is thoughtful, collaborate, and inclusive. Her influence pushes me to think about my work holistically and the community that it impacts.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Listening to music, going outside, talking to friends, reading a book, and sometimes avoiding Instagram
This member profile was originally published in October 2021.