Known for her bold and relatable designs, Portland-based artist and designer Allyssa Ellis combines hand-drawn elements with custom typography to craft work that inspires and delights. With an impressive resume that includes providing art direction for iconic advertising powerhouses like Leo Burnett and a client roster of industry leaders like Casetify and Readymag, Allyssa’s award-winning designs have a proven impact on shaping a brighter, more creative future.
Read her interview below to learn how she overcomes creative burnout, how her design process has evolved over the years, and why she turns to Stills for inspiration.
Stills: What is your design process like, and how has it evolved?
Allyssa Ellis: My design process always starts with an idea, whether to change something about how things are in the world or something as simple as a rebrand. It always starts there, whether it’s with posters or brand campaigns. From there, after I have my initial idea, I try to figure out the best way to solve and communicate it. Typically, that’s finding the right visual style and message to depict that idea accurately. Sometimes, I already have a visual in mind, and sometimes, I must search for it.
Where do you look for inspiration?
In the earlier parts of my career, I would always go straight to online sources to find that initial inspiration. If there’s something in particular that I’m looking for, like a particular style, I will look on Pinterest, Behance, or that typical kind of showcase site. I often find more inspiration from everyday things, experiences, conversations, and things that I notice outside the world. Something like how the light hits a certain tree, a book, or just the little things you notice daily that make you feel something.
How do you overcome burnout?
That’s a hard one. Rest is always important, but you can’t let burnout win. You have to have momentum to keep going. I try to take the rest I need, but then I still work on creating something. It can be something small or just spending an hour a week on something to keep that creative fire going.
What is your secret creative weapon, and how did you develop that skill?
Storytelling, or a way with words. I’ve always been drawn to literature and writing. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a songwriter or poet. The connection between design and story is very powerful. I’ve always written, but I connected it to the design process in college. From there, I realized I needed to start writing down my ideas and stories, which later led to personal projects and my newsletter.
Looking back, what hurdles did you have to overcome?
There are always a lot of personal hurdles. We all have difficult traumas and aspects of our lives. Certain relationships in the past have been hurdles, as has growing up in a super small town. I have had to figure out how to leave situations and environments behind and form new relationships (with myself and others).
What do you like about Stills? How is it a good resource for designers?
There’s a lot to like about Stills. It’s a new way to examine how imagery is used, especially with design. Many traditional stock websites feel very basic, dry, and fake. They don’t feel warm or inspiring and often look the same. Stills has such high-quality, inspiring imagery that can be used in various ways, especially with design. Whether that’s for mood boards or the actual designs themselves, it’s exciting to see the artistry of photography and design as one thing.
Explore a Board of dreamy, chromatic imagery—hand-picked by Allyssa and available to license for your own projects.
