We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Paul Lilley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Paul below.

Paul, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

My initials spell my first name. Paul Andrew Ulysses Lilley. Ulysses felt like the natural name for my studio.

Paul, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Ulysses Design Co is a brand identity design studio all the way from Sydney, Australia. We specialise in hand drawn branding, for forward thinking food and drink brands. Ulysses is a family business run by husband and wife brand identity designers Paul and Shalina.

We take great pride in our work and everything we create is hand drawn, from our custom logotype to our illustrations.

We only work with people we like and brands we believe in. This allows us to be really committed to our client’s and their projects.

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

Before I started Ulysses Design Co I worked at various creative agencies working with major international brands. This was a really fun job in my 20s but by the time I hit 30 I was burnt out and disillusioned. I did not feel creatively fulfilled and wanted to do something more hands on.

I moved to Australia, took a sabbatical and picked up a pencil. I started drawing at 32 and have never looked back. I taught myself illustration, graphic design and the started to specialise in brand identity design.

I love how I now get to work directly with business owners and form lasting relationships, rather than feeling like a cog in a machine.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

My approach to everything is usually work tirelessly until the problem is solved. With creative projects, this is not always the best approach. My wife and business partner Shalina comes from an art background and always encourages me to take breaks and leave the work to breath. I have found this to be invaluable. Often the solution is right there on the canvas.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ulyssesdesignco.com
• Instagram: ulyssesdesignco
• Other: https://dribbble.com/Ulyssesdesignco
  https://www.behance.net/ulyssesdesignco

Image Credits

Photos by Dain Luka