1. Evolve & Co builds campaigns 4 weeks out. Which week is your favorite? Why?
Week 1 – Ideation | Week 2 – Film Production | Week 3 – Design + Copywriting | Week 4 – Editing
A: My favorite week is week 3! I love the process of getting into my design / copy zone. It’s one of my most creative weeks but also one of the most challenging.
2. Q4 is the busiest time of year for most agencies. Tricks on managing the volume of projects in the design queue?
A: I would say know your priorities. The best way to do this is to truly listen to clients when they come in for their meetings. You can tell which projects are most important to them and also which ones need to go out sooner for further traction. I also think having a really organized computer workspace is important. I personally have a wide monitor plus my laptop monitor so that I can easily multi-task and look at design briefs plus the design file itself at the same time.
3. You’re mid-brand development on a comedic brand now with a lot of hilarious one-liners. Are you laughing the entire day?
A: I am definitely laughing a lot of the day! When I create something that’s meant to have comedic value I always make sure that it can make me laugh first. After that my family watches it. If I get a few chuckles out of them I know it’s ready to be submitted.
4. You have TWO 90 year old grandmas in Scotland? Tell us about these genetics.
A: I feel so lucky to have my grandmas around. I actually took a DNA test and these are my results: 84% Scotland, 9% Norway, 4% England & Northwest Europe, 3% Ireland. Who knows, maybe it’s all the cold sea air!
5. You were born in Scotland. Describe Fall there vs. America?
A: I would say the biggest difference is the focus on Halloween and Thanksgiving here in America. Fall in Scotland is more focused on Christmas coming soon. From a weather standpoint, it’s cold, rainy, and dark in Scotland for a large part of the Fall. It’s still beautiful but definitely not like sunny Florida!
6. You love cooking & baking. Making anything delicious for the holidays?
A: I made a wonderful ginger and pear tart! It was absolutely delicious and easy. I’ll link the recipe here so everyone can try their hand at this.
7. If you were a kid today, what would you hope Santa is bringing you? No World Peace crap. What tangible good do you want to own?
A: What a tough question! I think I’d probably want the new OLED Switch if I was a kid. I personally love video games and that love started in my childhood.
8. What’s the best vacation you’ve ever taken?
A: Another tough question. I’ve been so lucky to take a lot of incredible vacations so far. I think one of the best was a family trip to the British Virgin Islands. It is so serene there and unimaginably beautiful.
9. Do you have an irrational fear?
A: Absolutely. I am TERRIFIED of bees and wasps. I always have been. I’ve never been stung, knock on wood, but that could be why. When we were kids my sister leaned her hand against a tree and a wasp stung her palm so that didn’t help my fear.
10. You’ve got a well-traveled palate. What region or country of the world do you find has the best food?
A: I know it’s my home but I truly do love the food in Scotland. It’s always fresh, well seasoned, and interesting. I also love Indian food I’ve eaten in Scotland / England but I’ve never been to India to have the authentic versions yet.
11. You’ve been snow skiing for years. Embarrassing wipe out story?
A: I was semi-dancing on a cat track, a relatively flat section of a run that’s typically used by Snowcats and skiers to move around the mountain range, when I was a kid and caught my ski edge. I wiped out pretty hard embarrassingly enough.
12. What are you most looking forward to in 2022?
A: I am looking forward to some hopeful trips! With COVID safety in mind I haven’t traveled as much as I’d like to the past two years so I’m hoping to get a chance to travel more.
13. What is the name of the playlist you play while working?
A: I usually listen to one of three playlists; ‘Discover Weekly,’ ‘Pop Rising,’ or ‘Viral Hits.’ Since I’m on TikTok a lot, ‘Viral Hits’ scratches the itch when viral songs are stuck in my head all week.
14. You went to college in Richmond, VA. What do you miss about the city/ state?
A: I miss the Fall colors! The leaves change on my alma matter’s campus every year and they were just gorgeous. Here all we get is a palm frond down once or twice!
15. Most recent Netflix binge?
A: Emily in Paris. It’s definitely cheesy and unrealistic but hey who doesn’t love a love story plus a dream luxury marketing job set in France?
16. If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A: My family always jokes that I used to be a golden retriever in a past life and I don’t really disagree.
17. What do you consider your greatest achievement at Evolve?
A: I would say branding ‘Where’s Jubes.’ I worked on this project from ideation to creation and loved every minute of it. I even designed the main interior wall art and I am so proud of that.
18. What is your most treasured possession?
A: My stuffed bear named Rainbow! Or any of my stuffed animals really. I got Rainbow when I was born and we’ve been inseparable since.
19. What is your graphic design pet peeve?
A: My biggest design pet peeve is spacing. If someone doesn’t space things correctly on a menu, or other print piece, I immediately notice. I’d also say using certain fonts. That one I try to ignore because everyone has preferences but all I ask is that you watch this SNL short and you’ll understand the pain graphic designers go through when they see the Avatar poster.
20. What is your most treasured desk accessory? (Your Mini-Christmas tree?)
A: I love my keyboard. It’s a custom built acrylic Alice keyboard from my boyfriend with Animal Crossing New Horizons keycaps. It’s specifically made with my typing preferences in mind and is really pretty.
21. You have a date with Brody. How would you spoil him?
A: I would take him for a long walk, then get some treats for him while we snuggle on the Evolve & Co. office couch. Of course I’d also give him a lot of pets and scratches. Anything for the king!
23. You’re always playing around in Adobe. What is your favorite graphic design hack you’ve learned?
A: I feel like I learn a new hack or trick every day! There are so many great tricks when it comes to Adobe programs. I use Lightroom for all of our photos and love that you can create a preset and then copy + paste it onto every photo. Then I go into each photo and adjust from there. It saves a lot of time plus makes everything look cohesive.
My other favorite trick is the new Photoshop ‘select subject’ when you click the outline tool. It’s the BEST thing they’ve added to that program so far.
