Beth Mathews
Art Director / Senior Graphic Designer
Los Angeles, California
www.bethmathews.com
instagram @bethmathews
Q What do you do?
“I’m an art director and graphic designer living in sunny Los Angeles.”
Over the past 16 years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to work with amazing people and clients as a designer, art director, and creative director. Most recently, I spent the past 4 years at the plant-based beverage company Califia Farms as their art director of brand. I spent my days working closely with various departments, building up their e-commerce experience and califiafarms.com, creating large-scale marketing campaigns, and dreaming up experiential and out-of-home experiences.
I also do a lot of designing for fun, which presents a real range of creative work from sign painting to branding projects, prop design for film, illustration, and beyond!
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I started my college career with big dreams of being a documentary filmmaker because I loved the art of storytelling. Through a few design classes, I realized I could also be a storyteller through graphic design! That worldview blew open my world, and it has allowed me to easily move through various industries.
I started as a designer at a food bank in Nashville, TN, because I wanted to use my design skillset to support a cause bigger than myself. From there, I had the great opportunity to work for Capitol Records in their creative department, creating album covers and working on photoshoots. By this time in 2011, ""digital"" was a real buzzword, and I figured I needed to get on board, so I transitioned to an interactive design agency called Centresource. From there, I bopped over to HP, Inc., as a senior designer for HP.com. Then on to a creative director position at an education non-profit. And finally, and most recently, at Califia Farms as their art director. It’s been a really fun ride thus far!
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I am a very curious person who is constantly creating, whether it’s working at a company as part of a team or on my own. I’m very self-motivated to keep learning design skills and to keep creating for the sake of creating! You’ll find that my portfolio is equal parts passion work and commercial work. I find that they truly benefit each other and keep me excited to be in this field.
I have also used my design skills to create a lot of content for the nonprofit sector, particularly the refugee community, which planted me on a list in 2016 as ""50 People Changing the South"". I started a nonprofit called ""The Mom Bag,"" which provided self-care items to immigrant and refugee women as well as monthly field trips and classes. It all started with a tote bag I designed, posted online, and quickly took off in ways I could have never imagined!
Q What are you working on right now?
I just completed a large magazine project that included a cover design and 8 interior spreads. It was a field guide design, which means I got to make my favorite things: maps, guides, charts, and pieces of vintage ephemera!
I’m also working on branding a new Los Angeles fragrance brand, which includes its logo, the fragrance label, and the packaging design. I’ve also been working with Capitol Records here in LA on some album packaging and a special artist project that involves handmaking a lot of vintage-inspired props. I’m grateful.
Q What’s your style?
My style is very joyful, nostalgic, and clean.
Joyful / Nostalgic / Clean
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I’m very interested in any industry that is sustainable and progressive in terms of the climate.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
I’m begrudgingly putting off learning how to use Canva Pro for a design project that requires some building of editable templates.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Working on production files and file organization would be a really nice help.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I think about my younger childhood self a lot. I would have told her that her interests and the things that made her different would actually set her up to be a more interesting adult. I love that small version of myself and use her as inspiration quite frequently. She never would have dreamed that.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
This has nothing to do with design, but I’m very interested in permaculture and native gardening here in California. I’m in the process of transforming our whole yard into a native garden. I have so many books and tabs open on my computer about the subject! I’d love to sit down with an expert and ask them, "Please tell me everything you know and how I should do it!". The rhythms of Southern California’s seasons are still a great mystery to me.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I’m looking for art director opportunities. Being an art director is a real sweet spot, as it allows me to still be in the design arena, but I can help run the projects with my organization skills and teach and mentor more junior designers.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I recently had an agency come to me for my expertise in creating vintage-inspired design work. It was a dream project, as I got to be the art director for their design team and also contribute to the design pieces. They found me based on my personal design projects, and for me, nothing feels better!
I’m also very interested in being on a monthly or weekly retainer. A retainer helps me really get to know a brand and the company, which I think makes for more successful work and collaboration.
Q What is your rate?
My hourly rate typically runs $120/hr for art direction and design.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
I love an old-fashioned email and a scheduled Zoom call as a follow-up to talk through the project. If they have a budget in mind, that's even better.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Rachel Briggs
Rachel is an incredible illustrator
Trevor Miller
I worked with Trevor at Califia Farms. He’s an amazing designer and art director
Daniel Ellsworth
Daniel is my creative powerhouse musician husband.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Wake up early and design whatever you want first thing in the morning before your brain is full of mud!
This member profile was originally published in August 2023