Freshly Laundered 024 / Katie Campbell

Katie Campbell lives and works in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. As a Senior Designer at SCAD who does freelance t-shirt design and illustration on the side, she wears a lot of hats in her professional life. Read on to see how she balances both gigs.

CB: In your day job you’re a Senior Designer for SCAD, but you also do a lot of freelance apparel design. How’d you get into the freelance stuff?

KC: I slowly picked up freelance jobs shortly after graduating in 2004. I had enough clients in 2007 that I decided to try freelancing full-time. I was doing really well, but when the opportunity for a full-time gig at my alma mater presented itself, I couldn’t resist. I really craved the group creative environment and missed those beautiful benefits. After I started, I found I was doing less personal work so I began submitting to Threadless. Once I started getting prints sold through Threadless and other big name brands, the work requests starting rolling in. I discovered my love for merch design for the music industry and tried to focus my freelance jobs in that field. It’s such a rush and dream come true to see my work approved and sold by musicians that have inspired and entertained me all of my life.

CB: Is there a musician or band you have been dying to design for but haven’t gotten the chance to design for yet?

KC: I would love to do work for Madonna, Beyonce, and Ani DiFranco.

CB: You’ve had designs up on Threadless, Cotton Bureau, Society6, Design By Humans - how are you so prolific? Where do you come up with the inspiration for all these different designs and how do you find the time to complete them all while working a full-time job?!

KC: I get that question all the time. I surprise myself with how much I get done in one day. Even though my day job is creative and demanding, I wouldn’t feel satisfied if I didn’t make the time to create what I want at night and on weekends. My inspiration comes from everything and anything. I love being involved with Threadless because they have themed competitions that help drive my concept and surround me with other talented artists from around the world. I have piles of scrap paper, notes in my phone and cryptic emails I’ve sent to myself with ideas for my next design. I’d go crazy if I didn’t attempt to bring those ideas to life. And it just so happens to make me a little extra cash.

CB: Are you a part of any professional or design communities? If so, what do you get out of those experiences?

KC: I am not currently a part of a professional design community. If I lived in a bigger city with a local AIGA chapter, I would pay to join again. I love all of the local events they host. I am a member of dribbble.com, which is like a show and tell for designers. I constantly get inspiration and discover new talents from all over the globe. It’s also a great source for showcasing your work for feedback or simply sharing with other amazing artists and studios. I highly recommend it.

CB: If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring designers, what would it be?

KC: Never stop making and sharing your work. Make yourself visible on the web. Get involved in design communities where other experienced designers can provide feedback and where reputable companies actively seek artists. Stay positive and don’t let internet trollers get you down.

CB: Thanks Katie!

To see more of Katie’s work you can check out her website, or follow her on twitter, dribbble, and instagram.