We recently connected with Elana Rudick and have shared our conversation below.

Elana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I founded Design Is Yummy in 2009. For the first 5 years though, I operated primarily as a one-woman show. I began with a handful of freelance clients (mostly friends and family) while working part-time as an in-house designer.

Though networking and word-of-mouth I was able to grow my client base and eventually had enough work to freelance full time. When there was too much work to handle on my own, I began hiring other creatives— the studio was born.

Being able to earn a full-time living the first few years was tough. It took time to get the studio’s name out there, understand pricing structures, and what kind of work would be profitable.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve been working as a Graphic Designer for nearly 2 decades. I am the Founder and Creative Director at Design Is Yummy.

Design Is Yummy is a women-led, award-winning design studio based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We are driven by a passion to create thoughtful design for brands with heart.

Specializing in both design for print and web, along with offering comprehensive printing services, we cater diverse clients in arts and culture, healthcare, education, government, and retail.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As a student and young designer eager to gain experience, I heard about an opportunity to design a font with a research lab at my university. I knew a number of students with more experience that had applied as well.

After submitting my application, every afternoon, I stationed myself outside the lab director’s office, eager for any update on the decision-making process. This routine persisted for about a week. The director suggested I move on and wait for their decision. I told him I preferred to stay there until they made a decision because if he could see how dedicated I was to simply getting the position, imagine how much energy I would put into the actual job itself.

I ended up getting hired and gained some invaluable experience in beginning to understand my own resilience and how persistence can pay off.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like many businesses, when the pandemic hit in 2020 I had to do some major pivoting and restructuring. Over the past few years, I’ve been working to build a more balanced portfolio of clients across industries that are less impacted by recession.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://designisyummy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elanarudick
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designisyummy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elanarudick/