Emily Hall
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I’m a designer specializing in brand identity, typography, and web design. ”
I often start from scratch with brands seeking to either start up or rebrand, leading to a clean slate where creativity can grow. I create brands for new businesses and startups: everything from naming and designing the logo, to building out brand guidelines and stylesheets, establishing brand voice, writing copy, designing flexible websites, strategizing for social media profiles, and creating stationery and print marketing materials. My abilities can also be applied to existing businesses looking for help on new launches, campaigns, or branches of their existing brand. I find the best clients to work with are those who are passionate and driven about their company or product. My favorite projects are often in collaboration with small-batch, locally-sourced or -grown, and eco-friendly businesses. I continually strive to create functional and beautiful designs that meaningfully contribute to our local and global communities.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
Beginning as a self-taught designer, I’ve built up my rapport by working with creative friends, local businesses, and offering my support to those in need. I’ve constantly challenged myself (sometimes by overcommitting) in order to force myself to deliver. Over time, I was able to pick up various skills out of necessity. In 2015 I took a four year design course at a local college where I was taught by active business professionals and learned best business practices. Since then I’ve joined local design groups, attended design conferences, worked as both an in-house designer and an agency designer. Through it all, what ultimately advanced my career and made the most connections for me has been client work. I find the most rewarding feeling is knowing I was solely responsible for creating successful projects for my clients.
How do you stand out in your field?
The best way for me to learn is hands-on, in the moment, real experience. By constantly seeking out new and challenging projects, I’ve picked up product photography, videography and video editing skills, copy writing skills, social media management techniques, and more. This process has allowed me to become a dynamic designer who approaches projects with a unique, multifaceted view.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
As someone who never stops moving, the idleness of the pandemic created some interesting challenges for me. I’m currently working on several personal projects that I didn’t have time for before, including helping a friend launch a new candle business and starting up a new visual curation blog called Saint & Co (@st.nd.co). As far as working on myself, I’ve been uploading some projects from the past year to my portfolio and taking some online coding courses through Scrimba. I find myself excited (and admittedly sometimes daunted) by how much free time I now have to challenge myself.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
When it comes to working with clients, my style is broad and flexible in order to accommodate different brands. What ties my various client projects together is often my attention to typography and typographic systems, love of white space and airy-ness, and obsession with tiny details and accents. I love to create custom wordmarks for clients, either modifying existing fonts or designing a customized font. My personal style veers towards fashion and art, but I easily turn it down for corporate projects and nonprofit work. Often, my inclination towards editorial and artistic styles actually gives corporate and nonprofit clients a new and interesting spin.
Several projects on my website are featured because they represent my personal style and what I'm passionate about. I'm selective about what I put on my website in order to showcase what type of projects are my native language.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
In graphic design, we often work with a huge variety of different clients. Projects I’ve worked on have varied from food and beverage, product packaging, restaurant branding, and hotels, to makeup packaging, spa branding, fine jewelry branding, and event design. While I’ve been grateful to work on such a broad variety of projects, I would love to work with more fashion brands and editorial magazines. Not only is the industry close to my heart, but working in it would be a great opportunity to gain new experiences.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
The lack of ability to go out and network with people has been frustrating. Many of my clients in the past have been found through networking events and exploring my local city. However, I don’t see this as a negative thing. Instead, I’m exploring new ways to connect with potential clients online by utilizing social media and the power of a friendly email. I’m looking for ways to creatively meet people online.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
I wouldn’t mind hiring a part time social media manager to run my clients’ social media accounts. In the past, I’ve struggled with overcommitting to certain aspects of projects, such as proposing social media strategies and then having to implement these strategies for the multiple clients who I’ve promised it to, on top of my other duties and projects. Running social media accounts is a whole job in itself, and I would rather focus on the overall brand strategy than on the day-to-day implementation. This way, I could focus on big picture and have the right person implementing it step by step.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
I wish I didn’t beat myself up about not attending art school. After high school, I was accepted to SAIC, Parsons, and SVA, but couldn’t afford to attend and didn’t want to take out the loans. For years I worried if I made the right decision to attend design courses at a local college rather than a prestigious art school. As it turns out, the school itself doesn’t matter in the end–it’s about getting out what you put in. To get to where I am, I had to constantly put in maximum effort, conduct my own research, seek out my own opportunities, and supplement my education with other learning resources. Hard work is necessary, regardless of whether you attend a local college or a prestigious university.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
I would love to hear about the creative process of design experts. For me, the design process usually begins with research and strategy, then the visual design emerges from the result of that. The visual part is something I have to feel is right based on my research–it's a mix of scientific study and intuitive gut feelings. My understanding is that there is not one right way to approach design, but many different ways. Regardless, the more insight I can have into others’ design processes, the stronger my own will become. Insight into the rituals of other creative people is probably the closest you can get to peering inside someone's mind.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Some of my favorite projects involve learning as I go and facing new challenges as they arise–a process which has led me down many interesting and rewarding avenues. Some foreign avenues I would like to explore are within the fashion industry and editorial magazines. I’d like to work with fashion designers, photographers, stylists, and style influencers to enter into a new realm of work. The crossover of fashion, art, and design is powerful, and I’d love to explore the possibilities of my work within that space.
I'm also always open to working with people who are passionate and excited about what they're doing, whether it's a new startup, a brand, a blog, or product.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
Ideally, the client is passionate about their business/brand/product, has a vast background knowledge and experience, and can tell me everything about it. When we are both personally invested on both ends, we are able to truly vouch for ourselves and collaborate to create a strong final product. Sometimes clients are unsure about what they’re looking for, and I often prefer that. Having an open mind and no rigid expectations from the designer is good, because I can craft a solution that I know will work based on my experience, and all the client has to worry about is whether it feels right based on my presented solutions.
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
My hourly rate depends on the project, but ranges from $45-75 for web design work. For multi-phase projects such as website launches from scratch, lookbooks and cookbooks, product packaging, full branding suites, and more, I quote a flat price which includes a breakdown of each phase. In the past, websites have ranged from $1200-$3500. I’m also open to full time in-house and agency positions if we end up being the right fit!
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Check out my website at emilycarolina.com, email me at emily@emilycarolina.com, or shoot a DM to my Instagram @emilycarolinadesign!
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
On the daily, the best way to prep my mind for creativity is putting on some good music, burning a good candle, and drinking my favorite coffee blend. It’s all in the simple details.
This member profile was originally published in May 2020.