Katie Bryl shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Katie, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Tennis!
While tennis is often seen as a solitary sport, Atlanta has a huge tennis scene, and the way that women’s team tennis is structured means I spend a majority of my Sundays (and weekly practices) with a team full of amazing women.
Not only do I love my team, but playing tennis has been an amazing benefit to both my physical and mental health. I can totally get my mind off of my work and just focus on hitting a tennis ball. The discipline, teamwork, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit are invaluable assets as I learn to take losses in stride and not dwell on the points I don’t win.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Katie Bryl, and I’m the owner of Brylliant Design LLC. I attended Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, and have been a graphic designer for the last 10+ years in both corporate & agency settings.
I’d say what makes my business unique is that Brylliant Design is broken into two segments. One is graphic design services — from branding and collateral for corporate clients to wedding invitations — I offer a broad range of design capabilities for my clients. On the other side of the coin, I operate a small retail business where I am able to turn my own designs into novelty products like enamel pins, stickers, claw clips, and apparel, that I sell online and at Atlanta-area markets.
It’s a lot of fun, and being able to switch between designing pins and designing more traditional collateral keeps the work from feeling stagnant.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I was always a very artsy kid, and at my high school, I had taken every traditional art class available to me. I took every painting, drawing, and photography class in the school’s course catalog, and even worked with some of my classmates to get them to offer additional painting classes. I was planning to attend Savannah College of Art and Design for painting.
One of the art department’s teachers, Edson Beckett, suggested I take his Graphic Design class. I was suprised that I actually enjoyed the transition to digital art and ended up taking all the graphic design classes on offer as well.
I even started spending my free periods in Mr. Beckett’s classroom working on my design projects with every free minute that I had in my schedule. He and I talked a lot about what I wanted out of my future in art. As I was one of only 2 students at my high school to earn the Adobe Photoshop certification, he encouraged me to consider design as a major. He said something along the lines of “The two things you want in a career are skill and speed. You have both in design.”
I had always enjoyed painting, but lacked confidence in it as a career path. I just wasn’t sure what else was out there for me. Here was someone not only telling me that he believed in me, but that he was confident I’d not only enjoy design as a career, but excel at it.
What had been a class taken on a whim quickly became a passion. Finally, having a direction and a goal gave me enough confidence to bet on myself and commit to SCAD for graphic design, and I never looked back.
I’m so grateful that Mr. Beckett saw a budding designer in me and guided me in the right direction to make that choice for myself.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Believe in yourself.
I think young Katie would be amazed at where life has taken me. As a teen, I’d often heard the ‘starving artist’ commentary whenever I discussed my plans to attend art school and become a professional artist, and later, designer.
As a kid, I never would have imagined that I’d be running my own business as a graphic designer. Nor that I’d have been the youngest chapter President of AIGA Atlanta. A 30-Under-30 award for non-profit leadership certainly never would have been on my radar. I credit a lot of my wins to building a robust community of creatives here in Atlanta who are so supportive and inspiring.
On top of that, I get to travel all over the world, exploring new countries and experiencing new cultures with my amazing partner, Taylor.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Fostering and growing local communities, here in Atlanta.
A true sense of community has become so rare in 2025. With car dependency, lack of 3rd places, the ease of online communication, and many more factors, it feels harder than ever to foster a local community.
I’ve been volunteering with AIGA Atlanta for the last 10+ years, and more recently, I’ve also begun captaining a tennis team. I think it’s important to give back to the community that builds you up. You can’t just take from your community and expect it to keep giving to you; you have to pour into it, too.
It doesn’t even have to be with your time if you don’t have it to spare. Local organizations can benefit from referring your friends to grow the community, funding, or in-kind donations of your skills.
I will always encourage someone to join a sports team, a non-profit, or a hobby group. A supportive community is more important now than ever.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I joke with my husband that I don’t think I’ll ever retire. I’m lucky that I really love what I do. I would often leave my day job after designing all day and then sit down at my computer at home to come up with new pin ideas.
Even when we travel, I am always collecting maps, flyers, programs, museum guides — anything that catches my eye as good design that might inspire me upon returning home.
Design is a part of who I am. There are countless nights when I’ve gotten out of bed in the wee hours of the morning because I had to get an idea out of my head and onto the page. I keep a Field Notes and a pen on my bedside table to sketch or jot down ideas that just won’t let me sleep. Sometimes they don’t make any sense the next day, but sometimes they turn into designs I’m really proud of.
I’m not sure that would change if I knew I had only 10 years left. I’d probably forgo a 9-5 and travel a bit more, but I’d almost certainly return and design something new inspired by the trip.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://brylliantdesign.com
- Instagram: @brylliantdesign
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/katiebryl
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/brylliantdesign
Image Credits
Product photos taken by Kate Grubbs
