Maayan Pearl
Maayan Pearl
Creative Director / Illustrator
New York, NY / Maine
www.maayanpearl.com
instagram @maayanpearl
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I’m a graphic designer, art director, illustrator, wine enthusiast, avid cook and dog petter. ”
I've been working in house the last 13 years and am I'm finally looking to open my own studio specializing in wine & food branding. I was most recently the digital director at Kate Spade and previously the ACD at Day One Agency, a social media design firm working with a wide range of clients including American Express, The Make Nice Group, COS, Nike, Comcast and Chipotle to name a few. I previously worked at J.Crew, Bloomberg Businessweek, I.D. Magazine, Collins, Chermayeff & Geismar, & AR Media.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
Work hard, say yes to everything, be a good collaborator, be kind to people, and take on mentoring jobs.
How do you stand out in your field?
Worked at some pretty big brands over the years trying my hardest to make good work.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
Starting my own studio specializing in food, wine, and hospitality design. As I'm working to get my foot in the door to an industry I don't have a lot of experience with i'm talking to small businesses in the area and seeing if I can help them probono to gain experience. I just landed my first client, that's a local oyster company to help with marketing and branding. I'm also taking on some other freelance projects to help make rent while I continue to find ways to open this dream studio.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I'm not feeling like the work i've done is a full representation of my aesthetic. Perhaps some of my illustration and branding work I did at J.Crew and Businessweek. I'm hoping that finally starting my studio will allow me to really present my style and creative voice.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
Draw more.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Absolutely!
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
I wish I had tried pursing my passion to open this studio years ago instead of playing it safe and working in house for so many years. I've got so many friends that took this risk years ago and have full fledged studios. Despite it being a crazy time in the world, I still feel that it's important to take this risk now and give it a try.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
How to write contracts, how much to charge for different kinds of projects, how to build a back end that's customized for a site, or work with people who know how to do it, learn after effects and animation, and how to do a full branding proposal and build guidelines.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Food, wine, and hospitality design. Designing a wine label has been a dream of mine. If I could design a wine label and do a branding project for a wine company I would be the happiest girl in the world.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
See above.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
I am a fan of introductory emails and then moving straight to a zoom call. I enjoy having some facetime with clients, especially for introductory calls and see how the working styles can mesh. I prefer having project specifics listed in organized emails or word docs.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
I love going to old book stores and looking at covers. Old type and old covers are a major inspiration for me. During covid I've been scouring ebay for ideas since going to physical stores is much harder.
This member profile was originally published in August 2020.