Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Stewart.
Ashley, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Raleigh, NC, and until my junior year in high school, I was pretty set on going to a college in my hometown. My parents are engineers, and I have always enjoyed math and science, so it seemed like a no-brainer to pursue the same discipline. It was actually a sleep-away camp I attended as a teenager that really shifted my perspective. It was a performing and creative arts camp in Connecticut, and it was there that I learned and fell in love with printmaking.
Printmaking is such an incredible practice, and I loved the tactility of every step of the printing process — specifically silkscreen. Noticing my interest in detail and composition/layout, one of the shop counselors pointed out that I might enjoy graphic design. Soon after that, there was a SCAD booth at a local college fair, so I looked into the school and applied. When the time came to choose which college to attend, I chose SCAD.
I spent my freshman year at the SCAD Savannah campus, and I really enjoyed taking my foundation classes there. I was unsure about my major until I took the Intro to Graphic Design class and absolutely loved it. I feel like design is like the engineering of art — it’s problem-solving. Sophomore year, I transferred to SCAD Atlanta as I felt there would be more opportunities in a bigger city. I love Atlanta and I loved my dorm (right at Woodruff Arts Center).
I am still amazed at how quickly my time at SCAD flew by. Cheesy as it sounds, I didn’t really believe that I was graduating until the morning of graduation. I was having a hard time around graduation — all I knew was that I loved design, I was pretty good at it, and I wanted a job (I guess that was most people in my major…well, in my school).
Currently, I am working on the west coast, and I definitely miss Atlanta and all of the people there. I am grateful for all of the ups and downs I experienced at SCAD, and I am enjoying my job as a UX Designer. I learn so much everyday, and am constantly reminded of the things my professor would say:
• “Work hard. Always.”
• “In everything you do, be the best…Believe that the best is yet to be.”
• “Family and loved ones come first.”
• “Never stop studying about typography.”
Being a working adult is still very new (and stressful, honestly), but I’m excited for whatever is ahead.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have definitely been some ups and downs along the way. During freshman year, I had an unfortunate experience in Savannah, and it really made me feel out of control. What brought me back was knowing that the work that I produce is all up to me, and regaining the understanding of that control was comforting and needed at the time. Creativity is so, so powerful — even in the projects I created during college, I pushed myself ’til I was happy with the final product. Any college work is rigorous (SCAD especially), so I became familiar with the all-nighters and pace of the creative world. I’m most grateful for the people who were there with me doing the exact same things — I know a lot of great people and great designers thanks to SCAD.
Learning what kind of design I like to create was a bit of a challenge as well. In addition to problem-solving, design is storytelling. There is so much to know (and still learn) about how to perfect visual translation. I’ve learned (and am still learning) how to simplify an abstract concept for others’s benefit. Within design, I really enjoy print, motion (another opportunistic medium that conveys ideas so well), and branding. Branding allows me to bridge all of the different mediums — if you have a good base, then the rest is easy. I’m also interested in design for good/universal design, which is very challenging as there are so many variables to consider with human experience. As I said, I’m still working on trying to simplify the world (and improving the world) through design.
Piktorlabs – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am working as a UX Designer for a small company on the west coast. The people that I work with are incredibly intelligent and kind. It is a product innovation company, and it is so cool to create interfaces that help so many people. I have been enjoying every part of the creative process with my co-workers, and I have learned a lot from the development team. It is very refreshing to have open communication between the design and technical sides of the team.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
This past year, my “Guo Pei: Couture Beyond” invitation received a gold International Design Award in the Print/Announcements category, and…that felt good. It was definitely validating and exciting to be recognized. There’s a quote that’s been stuck in my head all year too — Ira Glass said,
“All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple of years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you…It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.”
By winning an IDA this year, I feel like I’m “closing the gap” Glass talked about — in the next few years, I hope to close that gap even more.
Contact Info:
- Website: ashbodesign.com
- Email: hello@ashbodesign.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ash.bo_design
- Other: vimeo.com/user93717661
Image Credit:
Ashley B. Stewart
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