We recently connected with Emily Egan and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Some of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on come from the office of Dr. Stephanie Cawthon, an Advocate for disabled folks, who travels the world speaking on the subject of accessibility. As an Illustrator and Designer for Dr. Cawthon, I am responsible for creating and maintaining a visual “brand” throughout her website, collateral, presentations, reports, etc. I create custom backgrounds, illustrations, icons, and other artwork for her various projects. Most recently, I had the honor of creating the artwork for Dr. Cawthon’s upcoming book, “Disability Is Human: The Vital Power of Accessibility In Everyday Life.” Projects with Dr. Cawthon are unique, because every visual must follow a color contrast ratio of at least 5:1, to ensure low-vision folks are able to see the graphics against their background (complying with ADA standards). There are many reasons why working with Dr. Cawthon is so meaningful to me, but this intentionally-accessible design approach is my favorite part. Most of us, artists and designers, are mainly focused on creating graphics that are beautiful and visually-pleasing, without paying too much attention to the level of visibility. However, a large portion of our audience may have vision-related disabilities, and won’t be able to enjoy the artwork because they can barely see it. I think creating artwork that is accessible to everyone is special because it shows that when we identify our barriers, we can strategize a way to work around them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Before I started my own design company, I worked in the Fashion industry as a designer. I started designing home textiles and artwork for products like shower curtains and rugs for large corporate companies. When I decided to transition to freelancing full-time, I realized there was a wide array of design projects outside of the textile industry that I was really interested in, especially brand design. I also realized that through my intuitive skills, I developed a talent of understanding and visually-representing my client’s unique energy through art, design and color. So, in addition to freelance textile design projects, I started working with local brands to create logos, color palettes, brand graphics, etc. that were intuitively-designed to match their authentic aesthetic. To ground myself in my client’s energy, I use meditation, tarot and astrology to guide me. I go beyond creating an “easy-sell” product, by thoughtfully-aligning the visual design with my clients’ unique mission. Having a knowledge of symbolism in color, numbers and imagery helps me convey a more powerful visual message. Spending time to get to know my clients, each design aspect is intentional, which I believe delivers a more successful product. Although I work in many mediums including watercolor, ink, and digital, all of my art shares a similar hand-drawn, organic style. I like to push my clients to do things differently, and focus on their unique “magic” they want to share with the world.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My main goal as a creative is to share beautiful art with the world in an authentic, intentional and unique way. Everyone has something different and meaningful to share, and if I can help forge a path for someone to express their vision authentically and beautifully, my mission feels complete.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect about being an artist and creative is giving folks a visual platform to share their unique offerings with the world. It’s awesome to see my clients’ goals shine through the voices I help create for them in art and design.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emilyegandesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyegandesign/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyminerd/

Image Credits

@travperk_photo-RBC_WesternPearlSnaps-16: CREDIT – Raised by Coyotes