Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Romero.
Allison, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I didn’t always know I wanted to be a designer. I didn’t even know that was a viable career option growing up. I just knew I wanted to do something creative. My aunt is an artist and my grandmother are a crafter and they both always encouraged my creativity. I was first introduced to graphic design in a Desktop Publishing class I took my junior year of high school. I loved making things on the computer. One of the first projects I remember working on was a poster for my favorite band at the time. I still have it hanging up on my wall. It’s so awful (I went crazy with the effects in Photoshop) but I love it at the same time.
I attended a community college for two years after high school mainly because I was undecided on what I wanted my major to be. When researching schools close to home I found a college that offered a graphic design program. I remembered how much fun I had in design class in high school. I enrolled in the program and became obsessed with graphic design. After graduating I worked a few internships doing letterpress printing and layout design for a local magazine. I ended up moving to Dallas for a job at a craft company where I currently do product development, illustration, and surface pattern design. Every day I’m working on something different!
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I love graphic design but my real passion is surface pattern design. I sort of fell into surface design when I was tasked with creating patterns for my current job. Now it’s become my main focus. I love illustrating all of the elements of a pattern, choosing color palettes, and finally arranging everything in a fun and pleasing composition. My process is done entirely on the computer. I’m not really a pen and pencil kind of designer. I draw everything directly in Adobe Illustrator with my Wacom tablet. It’s one of my favorite tools. I like my patterns to be filled with lots of stuff, so I’ll start drawing whatever comes to mind and will fit the theme of the project I’m working on. Then it’s just a lot of moving things around on the artboard until everything fits into a pattern I’m happy with. My patterns are generally colorful and playful and I hope people smile when they see them!
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
Just start with what you have and make time for what you love. You don’t need the most expensive tools or a perfect studio. Most of my work is done on a hand me down laptop with a Wacom tablet that is way overdue for an upgrade. If you’re not creating art at your day job, set aside hours at home to create. If you’re truly passionate about art, you’ll find a way to create regardless of any obstacles you may be facing.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I’m most active on Instagram. You can check me out @allisonromerodesign and give me a follow. I try to post new patterns on my design account weekly. I always reply to comments and can also be reached through direct message for Collab’s or freelance work!
Contact Info:
- Website: allisonromerodesign.com
- Email: allisonlromero@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/allisonromerodesign
Image Credit:
© Allison Romero
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