Discover the interview of Kelli Elmer in Minnesota, USA.
How did you become designer ?
I am honestly surprised it took me as long as it did to realize my passion for design. Growing up, I had always been a creative individual. With my father being a professional woodcarver, I watched him turn art into profit. So I did just that. I started sculpting 3-dimensional animal figurines that I would sell at local craft shows. When I was old enough, my father taught me to carve and I was able to sell some smaller pieces at our festival booth each year. I started to get into photography/videography and would spend entire summers just filming/editing videos and entering photographs into my local county fair. I even brought my creativity to the stage by performing improvisational skits where my team and I became global champions in 2010.
It wasn’t until high school when I took my first graphic design class. I picked it up instantly and only wanted more. I took every single graphics class my high school offered and when I completed all of those, I was able to take a course at the local community college. My passion for design only grew stronger and decided this was what I wanted to do.
I studied Graphic Design and Interactive Media at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. My senior year I took the opportunity to study Visual Communication at Massey University’s College of Creative Arts in Wellington, New Zealand. I am now working for an advertising agency in Minnesota.
How would you define your vision of design, your style ?
I would describe myself as a very conceptual designer. The first (and most important) step of my design process is research and gathering as much information as possible. I try to create and capture meaningful stories within my designs that can be communicated visually to my audience. In short, I love to make people think.
For the future, what are your professional projects ?
What do you like the most in your job ?
