We recently connected with Angela Panas and have shared our conversation below.
Angela, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?
I’ll always remember the first time someone took a chance on me as a paid designer. I had just begun pursuing my degree in Graphic Design when the mother of a close friend who was creating a product asked me for a label design. I had never done anything like that before but I jumped at the chance. It was during COVID and the product was a “fresh mask spray.” I still remember the design vividly, probably because it haunts me. It was an extremely rough clipped-together design in Photoshop, completely disregarding all basic design concepts. It will always be a benchmark for how far I’ve come with my design capabilities. To this day, that woman has been a steady support in my creative career and has witnessed firsthand my professional achievements.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m Angela Panas, an Illustrator & Graphic Designer completely dedicated to bringing humor and fun into the world of design. Like most artists, I’ve been honing my craft since I was a kid, always obsessed with art classes and bringing my sketchbook everywhere I went. After high school, I struggled with the decision to pursue a creative career or go a more “practical” route. After careful consideration, and despite not having immediate support from friends and family, I decided to pursue design school, getting an associate degree in Graphic Design and a BFA in Illustration and Publication Design. Throughout my schooling, I finally grew to understand my visual language, and that there was a place for it in the world. Within my work, I boil the nuances of everyday life and relationships into the basics. I create bright illustrative designs for consumer packaged goods and individual brands. My combination of playful illustration and bold type sets my designs apart. I want everyone who views my illustrations or my packaging designs to be able to connect in their own way, and maybe even crack a smile.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
This is a really interesting question, and what immediately comes to mind is not society as a whole, but rather individual business owners, and what they can do to support artists. The answer is pretty simple actually, it’s for them to understand the value that creatives bring to the business world. Look around, every single thriving business has a cohesive brand identity, brand visuals, successful advertisements, packaging, and much more. All of this is done by designers. Yet still, we are fighting to defend very reasonable pay rates and are not taken seriously when discussing with clients the importance of what we bring to the table. It gets frustrating being underappreciated and underpaid when you’re building the very foundation of these brands and businesses.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My only mission is to be able to keep creating. I’m so grateful for my past and current clients, and hopeful for what my future holds for this career. I’ve always been comfortable as long as I’m designing, whether it’s freelance or in-house. A bonus would be if my work ever has the chance to inspire another artist to begin their journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.angelapanas.com/
- Instagram: @0pangea0
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-panas-bb0b1b1b9/
Image Credits
Angela Panas