With a passion for design and a keen eye for detail, Serena Tyrrell, the creative visionary behind Kohi Design Studio, has established herself as a leading force in the industry. Read her exclusive interview below to learn more about her creative process, the challenges she’s overcome in her creative journey, and where she turns for inspiration.
Stills: What is your design process like? How has it changed as you’ve evolved in your career?
Serena Tyrrell: I always like to begin my design process with a good brainstorming and sketching session. This includes sketches on paper, which I’ll later vectorize, brainstorming in Adobe Illustrator, making mood boards, searching for inspiration, and doing some market research. I then hop into making rough drafts. And the final step is refining those drafts into the final product! My process has stayed relatively the same throughout my career; however, I now do more research and brainstorm beforehand. I like to make sure that I understand my client’s target audience and business needs so that ultimately I can offer them a design that truly fits their business!
Where do you look for inspiration?
Lately, my go-to for design inspiration has actually been Instagram! There are so many incredible designers posting their work there, and I just love scrolling through my feed or Explore page and seeing what’s out there! Whenever I stumble upon a new designer whose work I adore, I make sure to follow them because I want my feed to be filled with people who inspire me! Sometimes, if I’m looking for something specific, I’ll search by hashtags, which helps. Another place I love going to for inspiration is Behance. I find I gravitate here when I need some packaging design inspiration. The design work I see on there always blows me away! I could easily scroll on there for hours.
How do you overcome creative burnout?
I have to take a break from designing. Sometimes, I only need one hour, but other times, I’ll need two weeks to fully reset. Going for a walk, exercising, seeing friends and family, or just relaxing at home helps tremendously. I always come back with a fresh perspective and a boost of inspiration when I do this. I try to remind myself to take small breaks regularly to avoid feeling burnt out, but sometimes, it just creeps up on me during a busier work period.
What is your creative secret weapon, and how did you develop it?
My secret weapon when designing is a combination of the pen and pencil tools in Adobe Illustrator. These are probably my favorite tools for creating brand identities. I use them to edit typography, create custom shapes, create illustrations, and more! I was first introduced to these tools while studying graphic design in college, and ever since then, I’ve been refining my skills.
What are some hurdles you personally had to overcome?
Fear and nerves have held me back the most. It can be scary to start freelancing with zero knowledge of running a small business. At the beginning of my freelancing career, I was doing everything for the first time and was really just learning along the way. And that was scary. But facing my fears and overcoming my nerves time after time is what led me to where I am today! To this day, I like to remind myself that doing something that scares me is a positive thing and leads to more growth than I can even expect! I love growing both as a designer and as a person, and to do so, you always have to try new things and overcome your fears along the way.
What do you like about Stills and how is it a good resource for designers?
I really love how unique Still’s photo collection is. Stills photographers have very unique creative styles and are incredible at visual storytelling. This brings a very high-quality experience as you navigate the photo collection. Another thing I absolutely love is the search filters! It really helps to have so many options when it comes to search filters because going through stock photography when you have something specific in mind can be a pain, but Stills makes it that much easier! My favorite is being able to search by color with a color wheel. A graphic designer’s dream!
Explore Serena’s favorite Stills photos in her recently curated Board.
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