RAECHEL STEWART

GRAPHIC Designer + MAKER

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

5 favorite musical artist of all time? 

1. Outkast

   …because of the way they were able to combine different sounds and creatively represent themselves and influence music.

2. Childish Gambino

   …for his lyrical cleverness and he just truly gave his on personality in it.

3. Kendrick Lamar

   …for the poetic way he tells stories and the empowerment his music gives.

4. Kid Cudi

   …for the experimentation and just the way when he makes music he isn't trying to be like everyone else.

5. Micheal Jackson

   …because the energy he gave in his music and performances. You could tell he truly gave his all in his work.

What inspires you? 

Being a maker influences my style. I love materials, textures, colors. I love to embrace things like up-cycling and vintage references to show how things can be used in new and modern ways. I also love using older or more vintage references whit.

What advice would you give to your younger self? 

To pay attention to your interest and use that as a guidance in what you want to do with your life. Be confident in yourself and your personality. When you do, the best things happen.

What industry blogs/websites/podcasts do you enjoy?

Brand New is one of my favorites because I love seeing the progression of branding. It's a good way to gauge long term design trends but also what is not working.

What do you think the future holds for people of color in creative industries?

It is something I hope improves and progresses. I think I have been in situations where adversity is something I face and hoping for a more progressive industry that includes people of color. There are times where we can see the lack of progression because of people stuck in their ways, but adding diversity and new ways of thinking of things would cause of new era and age of design.

What is your dream job?

My dream job would involve creating inspiring, hands-on work that allows me to decide on materials and creative applications. It would also involve a flexible, remote work environment. I also want it to be a place that you can tell is doing their part to human kind. I want a place that truly values their company and employees. My dream job would support my growth and expose me to new things, because if I am going to be doing it for 8 hours a day I want it to be something I can truly be captured by.

What skill(s) would you develop if you had more time? 

One of the things I have been wanting to develop is my photography and video skills. I have some experience with photography but want to really keep learning and improving. I’ve also wanted to get into coding versus just designing for web.

What is the last thing you learned? 

I am still in the process of learning it, but I have been researching how to use Adobe After Effects, and enhancing my copywriting skills.

What are you working on right now?

My passion project is my side business clothing brand called Tagged District, where I create the design, make the prints, and sew. Tagged District is a quirky streetwear brand meant to embrace the personality of wearer versus being all about a logo name on a shirt. I am also doing some freelance helping small business with their branding. With my day job, I am helping to redevelop and refresh standard collateral as well as helping the marketing team with graphic design needs.

If you could talk to your favorite creative for an hour, who would it be? Why?

I would talk to Sam Gilliam because I feel the way he creates art is interesting and would want to know about his process to see how a different style works. He has a lot of texture in his work and his use of colors build on that. I feel that is what I aspire to do as a graphic designer.

What advice would you give to creatives of color looking to pursue their passion full-time?

We need more creatives of color representing us. So why not let it be you? Being a black woman, I have often been doubted or told to do other things and it’s hard not to think it’s true. But its not, if its your passion just do it because it will show in your work in your personality in you.

How do you keep your creative drip going? 

I dabble in different kinds of creative outlets from sewing, to laser cutting, to crafting. It helps with being able to think out of the box on things. I also look at other artists and trends to see what is out there and how I can incorporate it to develop myself as a designer. I think viewing art from different cultures and time periods really gives me motivation to think creatively.

Contact: rae.r.stewart@gmail.com

Check out her Instagram page and portfolio for more of her work!