Elizabeth Phillips
Elizabeth Phillips
Art Director / Director of Brand Identity / Founder of March Like a Girl
El Segundo, Los Angeles, California
www.designprettythings.com
emphill@designprettythings.com
Instagram @design.prettythings
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I’m an Art Director using design + brand powers for good. ”
I build brand identities, have a huge passion for the social impact space, and I always have a side hustle.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
I learned that saying “yes” brings great opportunity. I’ve said yes to job opportunities that have scared me, but allowed me to learn and grow on hyperspeed. I’ve done a lot of work for trade that has led to paid job opportunities, a network of new freelance clients, + a closet full of workout clothes – all good things.
Photo Shoot Styling for Tohi
FOR OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR FIELD, WHAT DO THEY USUALLY LACK?
Confidence in their value. My design friends from college and I still run freelance rates, salary negotiations, and project scopes by each other. I always find myself being the cheerleader and convincing them to charge what they are worth. Talented creatives bring a ton of value to brands, not everyone can do that.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
At the start of this year I started a passion project called March Like a Girl. I created it on the simple concept of creating + sharing female driven quotes and posters to help our voices be heard. March Like a Girl has since evolved into a small clothing brand that donates half of all profits to Planned Parenthood. This project has been a great creative outlet (especially in this political climate) and I’ve met some amazing entrepreneurs through events like Unique LA.
Branding - Social Impact: March Like a Girl
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
My style is clean and intentional. Design is simply visual communication. My universal goal is to tell a story and to allow for the audience experience to be as seamless as possible. One project that is a good representation of my style is the wine label designs that I created for ONEHOPE. ONEHOPE is a socially conscious wine brand and I was tasked with their first rebrand in 7 years.
The challenge was to communicate that half of are donated to different causes, and each varietal of wine has a unique nonprofit partner. As their in-house designer, I had pressure from the marketing team to make it look fresh and beautiful, while the sales team still needed the cause aspect to be front and center. My solution was to create a unique dot pattern for each varietal that was an abstraction of a statistic related to the cause. For example, the Chardonnay bottle has one pink dot and seven silver dots because 1 in every 8 women in the US will develop breast cancer in her lifetime and this bottle gives back to fund clinical trials for women.
When designing for retail, you have a very short window to let your consumer know that your product is unique. My goal with this project was to just get the audience to pick this bottle up off the shelf. I am always aiming to make designs interesting – it comes easier when it’s backed with a ton of passion for the brand.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I would love to be back in the social impact space again. I’m really in my element when I’m working to develop and focus on one mission.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
It frustrates me when clients invest money in their branding without carving out the time to meet, discuss, and follow up on projects. Having a solid, clearly communicated, cohesive brand is so important.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
I would hire someone to execute on social media strategy for March Like a Girl! I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a network of pros, but with any side hustle, there are some things that I am learning as I go. I have a strong vision for the designs and content of the brand, but a strategic genius would greatly help make my days easier.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
If I had a time machine I would tell my college student self that it’ll all make sense eventually. I spent a lot of time doubting my abilities in college. I was the only student in my major to study graphic design and communications – everyone else studied advertising. I thought I was studying the “wrong” thing until I learned that visual and verbal communication go together quite nicely.
Packaging Design for ONEHOPE
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
If I could talk to an expert about anything it would be app development. I have so many app and business ideas that I think are really great, I get really excited about them for a week or so, and then they fall to the bottom of the list. If I could learn more about the app creation process that would totally be my next side hustle.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
I am looking for opportunities that allow me to help brands develop and strengthen their identity. I am an Art Director and my strengths are brand identity and strategy. I am also living my best life when I am styling and directing photo shoots for my clients. I love working with companies (big or small) that I believe in, but also have a great culture where the whole team believes in the brand as well.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB.
My ideal job would involve making a difference / empowering women / involving health + wellness. Ideally I would have the freedom for a healthy work/life balance.
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
I typically price out projects based on an hourly rate of $75-$100 / hour. I also prefer to take on freelance work on a $1k+/month retainer. The benefit of having me on retainer is it allows for me to act as an extension of the team, plus I’m available around the clock for random things like copywriting, cute hashtags, email subject lines, you name it.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Best way to reach me is via email! emphill@designprettythings.com
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Brainstorming content for my pup’s instagram @river_the_waterdog
Who's in your Go-To Squad?
Billy Kirland — The most creative person in a room of producers, the most producer-ish person in a room of creatives.
Peter Rosemeyer – all write all write all write (Peter is a great writer + far more clever than I am)
Jeff Levitt – The best “preditor” ever (producer + editor).
This member profile was originally published in September 2017, Updated April 2018.