Pilar O'Connor
Q What do you do?
“I’m a multi-disciplinary Designer, but I love brand design, apparel design, and art direction the most.”
I have over five years of professional experience in all of the above, along with digital and motion design. I also am the founder/designer of Sucka Free Certified, a lifestyle brand that creates one-of-one athlete inspired designs on up-cycled sweatshirts.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
My foundation in design derives from my BFA in Graphic Design from Boston University. After graduation I freelanced for about a year and a half at agencies/companies like Instrument, R/GA, and Converse. I then went full-time with R/GA and Big Spaceship for a couple years, and now I'm back to the freelance life! I've worked on a range of clients like Nike, Converse, Fast Twitch, Chase Bank, and the NBA.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I try to immerse myself in the communities of what I'm interested in.This has led to very organic freelance projects/opportunities that are now some of the projects that I'm most proud of.
Q What are you working on right now?
I'm working on a couple different logos and brand identity projects, which I always love to do. I'm also working on a new collection for my brand, Sucka Free Certified.
Q What’s your style?
I have a style that's sporty and graphic, yet minimal. The project that bests represents it is probably my clothing brand! I design everything for it from the brand identity, the website, social media, and the clothes themself. You can check it out on instagram @suckafreecertified or here: pilaroconnor.com/suckafreecertified.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I wish I could focus on apparel/fashion design more! My formal training and experience is in graphic design but I also have a lot of interest/passion in fashion and apparel. I love the balance of the two, but I definitely spend the majority of my time on graphic design.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
When it comes to freelancing, it's really hard to get a client to pay on-time. This gets frustrating.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Scheduling my calls with clients!
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I wish I could have told myself in college and right after college to just get a coffee shop job, skate shop job, or retail job. I used to stress myself out so much about getting internships. I took unpaid ones several times and questioned my design ability when I barely got any interviews. I wish I let myself work a full-time industry job while I was figuring out what I wanted. You can meet so many interesting and inspiring people in any industry who could help you out down the line if you're a good person who's ambitious. There is no one single path to success in any industry.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
If they think working as a creative in a corporate environment is worth it!
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I would love to work on more brand identities to establish visual directions. I also would love to work on apparel design collaborations!
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I had a super positive and collaborative experience earlier this summer with a grassroots soccer team in NYC called Bowery FC. In timeline alignment with the 2023 Women's World Cup, Bowery FC was designing a jersey to highlight the progress of the US Women's National Soccer Team over the years. They had already started to design the jersey when they approached me with some design needs and a desire for more of a concrete overarching narrative. I came back with an idea to take a phrase from a poem they wrote: "Make Space". This became the phrase of the entire campaign. I also designed a logo/patch for the jersey with an original illustration and consulted with the team on the overall design of the jersey. They were then able to produce the patch, the jersey, and the other branding materials with my logo on it. They had a photoshoot with the jerseys, a release event, and then continued to sell them at a local retail store called OnlyNY. The project was so fun, I was able to work with members/friends of a community that I'm in, and the end result was beautiful and very successful!
Q What is your rate?
I usually charge an hourly rate of $50-75 depending on the project and the client. For a more concrete brief, I would provide a flat rate depending on my estimation of how much time it would take to complete.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Communication via email is preferred! An intro note, brief scope of the project, and general budget of the project is ideal to know from the start. From there we would schedule a phone/video call to discuss details.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
My good friend Victoria Rosselli (@victoriarosselli)
She is so talented with editorial design and brand design in particular. She inspires me because she's really focused on honing her craft and her specialty over the past couple years, which takes a ton of focus and dedication if you do it right (which she obviously has).
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
I skateboard several times a week to clear my mind if I'm feeling stuck or in a rut! Going outside and getting my heart rate up really helps me refresh my creativity.
This member profile was originally published in September 2023