Emily Thomas
Visual Designer / Brand Strategist / Art Director
Portland, OR
www.emilythomas.studio
instagram @emthoms.studio
Q What do you do?
“I’m a visual designer, illustrator, brand strategist, and adventure enthusiast — I help brands and musicians bring their ideas to life, heavily inspired by the 70s and a well-curated playlist.”
I bring a fun and funky approach to design, with a hint of nostalgia and a focus on expressive typography. I aspire to create designs that delight, inspire, or educate, but most of all stand out from the sea of modern design sameness.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I grew up in a fairly conservative household where I was encouraged to pursue a stable and reliable career path, so naturally I decided to go to art school. Alas, I’ve always been up to something creative. My earliest email address was “doodles8” and when my older sister left for college, I wrote a bunch of handwritten letters to her decorated with goofy colorful type. In high school I got into photography, drawing, and painting; in college I discovered a world of digital techniques.
I received my BFA in Art & Design from the University of Michigan, and have since attended various intensives to hone my skills in branding and type design. I continue to stay inspired by learning new skills outside the realm of design – I'm a registered yoga teacher, amateur snowboarder, and most recently beginner whitewater kayaker. I worked as an in-house Brand Designer for ~5 years before branching out into freelance to explore more diverse opportunities across various industries, to pursue more music industry-focused work, and to work while traveling the western states.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I’m always exploring new interests or seeking new ways to stay creatively stimulated – right now that’s traveling the western states and learning how to whitewater kayak. Pushing myself to do more in my personal life inspires me to expand my creative ways of thinking and stretch the boundaries of how to interpret black-and-white tasks. And because I am the way I am, I named by bright green banana-shaped kayak Roberta Plantain and am currently working on branding for her, just for fun.
Q What are you working on right now?
In the rotation:
merch designs for an independent record label
branding for a soulful singer-songwriter
design concepts for an NYC coffee shop
reminding myself to post on social media
researching better food options for my very picky dog
Q What’s your style?
I once wrote an essay on how my personal style could be described as an organized mess and I think that still rings pretty true. My work and style is heavily influenced by the weirdness of the 60s, 70s, and 80s – I try not to take myself too seriously and I think that motivates me to create really playful, energetic work.
Q: We all have multiple skills or work in various industries, which one do you wish you could focus on more?
Industry-wise, I’d be delighted to collaborate more with folks in the music industry.
Skills-wise, I wish I had more time and patience to spend perfecting my type design abilities. It’s a truly rewarding skill and maybe one day I’ll sit down and finish all the incomplete typefaces I have in progress.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
I miss meeting and collaborating with other creative people in person! Going freelance and moving to a new city mid-pandemic have been added layers of social isolation, but I’m looking forward to new connections and creative meet-ups soon enough!
Also, social media. I hate that it holds so much influence
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Pitching new work or navigating the financial backend of freelancing… mostly taxes.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Trust the process and trust yourself! I had so many ideas and so much creative inspiration when I was fresh out of undergrad, but I struggled with enough creative confidence to put them out into the world. Like anything else, it only gets easier the more that you do it!
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Hmmm… I’m rarely not exploring a new interest or hobby. Expert insight on investing, learning new instruments, or vegan cheese-making would be very welcome in this moment.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Album art, merch design, and branding — I’d love to explore more opportunities with music industry clients, startups that are mission-oriented toward positively impacting the environment, and brands supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
The most rewarding projects are ones that involve mutual respect, trust in creative intuition, dedication to the process, and open communication to throw ideas around no matter how silly or weird.
When clients are down to hash out whatever creative rubbish comes out throughout the process, I think that’s where the magic is; the willingness to experiment in order to land at something truly unique to you and your mission.
I also have a huge appreciation for clear communication from the onset of a project, and ability to articulate expectations and feedback ongoing.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Drop me a line at emilythomas.studio@gmail.com or reach out via the contact form on my website. Please include a general description of the type of work you're looking for, budget, and timeline if you have one.
Funny pet photos are also welcome.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
I had one brilliantly thoughtful and encouraging design professor in undergrad who helped guide my path during and post-college, and a colleague more recently with whom I collaborated for several years and who remains one of my biggest cheerleaders to date.
Frankie Ratford of The Design Kids has also been a huge creative influence in terms of encouraging me to fearlessly pursue my personal style and to generally let my creative freak flag fly, so to speak.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Mindfulness, my dog, and funky basslines.
This member profile was originally published in August 2021.