Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaolynn Betts
Hi Shaolynn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I knew from an early age that I always wanted to be a Creative: I wanted to be involved in the making of things, where big ideas could come to life through campaigns, events, entertainment, print, or products.
The real question, however, was how I was going to get there.
I was lucky enough to have a school that taught graphic design with some of the early versions of the Adobe Suite, and I was immediately fascinated with what I could accomplish with this new tool, messing around with Photoshop’s filters and masks to create new effects, struggling with the pen tool in Illustrator, and learning how to better my compositions and layouts in InDesign.
By the time I was in college, backed by a degree in Advertising, I was also exploring multi-media opportunities, testing out my photography and videography skills, finding a new love for textile printing, and exploring front-end web development and UX and UI design principles.
I worked as a freelance designer for a number of years, helping clients with various requests ranging from t-shirt designs to email campaigns to posters, logos, and branding initiatives for both print and digital activations.
Finally, I was able to secure a job at an alcohol importing company in 2022 as their in-house graphic designer (where I’m currently employed), before becoming their Lead Graphic Designer as of this year.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I cannot lie, the pandemic was definitely a huge hurdle to the beginning of my career.
I was working several odd jobs at the time to scrape by, handing out pamphlets, working as a shuttle driver, and selling stickers online and at various art festivals.
I had been a freelance designer for a while by that time, but as the months crept on and client budgets tightened, I knew I had to make a change.
I managed to secure a small position at a local shop that needed some design work for their quarterly trade booths and onboarding material, but it took a solid year and a half before I landed my first design job.
I threw myself into the new role, excited and eager to show off my skills and ready to tackle as many projects as I could, loving how new and shiny the industry was.
Yet, the struggles were not over.
Less than three months into my new job, my father passed away.
My dad, just like the rest of my family, had been adamant about me exploring my creative side, especially since he himself had not had that support.
He was a very artistic spirit, and in turn he fostered a similar spirit in myself, encouraging me to push my craft and to explore every opportunity that came my way, no matter how small.
We used to sketch logos and comics together, and on special occasions he’d pull out a huge leather portfolio case of his original work from his “artist days”.
I remember our critiques and how he saved every one of my designs I ever made (even the one’s I wish he hadn’t kept).
I remember how happy he was that I had finally become a designer.
Since then, I have held my father’s inspirations and lessons close to my heart: keep trying, keep exploring, and keep going.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am now the lead Graphic Designer for an alcohol importing company, specializing in product design, brand development, and packaging design in the wine and spirits industry.
Currently, I am most proud of my work with building up more premium products such as the Doc Holliday Bourbon series and the World Whiskey Society since we can go all out on finishes, drama, and extra packaging touches that add a luxurious overall experience.
Picking out different tactile details such as laser cuts, embossing, and wax seals is especially fun – anything to make each item more thoughtful, beautiful, and impactful.
I have also recently enjoyed working with 3D printing and electroplating materials on the production side: it is always a great feeling being able to show clients the progress we’ve been making with a beautiful render and a tangible product they can hold in their hand.
I think what sets me apart as a designer is my perspective on the design process and how it extends into the world.
I have worked extensively both on the back and front ends of production from idea to creation and beyond, and I can confidently say that I thoroughly enjoy breaking each phase down into the core of what I believe to be good design: elegant, impactful visual storytelling.
Throughout the process, I like to approach each stage with enthusiasm, focus, and a collaborative mindset, observing how each piece fits together and listening to find the “spark” that really resonates with people: a story that hasn’t been told yet.
I take a lot of inspiration from art directors such as Paul Belford and Santosh Padhi, as well as various artists including Alfonse Mucha, Olly Moss, Malika Favre, Yuumei, and Annie Leibovitz – each of these creatives emphasize visual impact that inspires conversation outside of their work, drawing out that “spark” and creating a connection bridged by design.
That’s what it’s all about: people are the medium through which stories are told.
It’s my job as a designer to show them why that story matters.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up as an only child, I had the privilege of a family that fully supported my artistic endeavors.
Every chorus concert, piano recital, theatre performance, dance exhibition, poetry reading, or art exhibition I entered, they were always there to cheer me on.
My mom has a vast home-video collection of my earliest moments, and in most of those clips you can see me jumping around with a paintbrush or marker or lipstick in hand, squiggling on papers (and sometimes walls), putting on elaborate plays or circus performances for an audience of stuffed animals lined up along the stairs, or using the coffee table as a stage for my ballet recitals and operatic renditions of Andrea Bocelli’s “Por ti Volare”.
I would build forts to host exclusive fashion shows and dinner parties in, printing out little place cards and posters for my events, or you’d find me creating brochures for various museum and aquarium exhibits, depending on what fossil or animal I was interested in that month.
I’d sketch manga or small comic strips in the pages of my notebooks, or create magazine publications for my Barbie’s newest fashion lines in my spare time, and every year I’d sit down to craft my family’s birthday cards, greeting cards, and holiday cards by hand, signed with my full name and a little company logo at the back.
I feel like a lot of my personality is the same for me now as it was when I was a kid: playful, friendly, creative, and above all else, curious about the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shaolynnbetts.com/
- Instagram: @shaolynnbetts
Image Credits
Image Credit: WWS Invitation – ThinkBold Studio & The World Whiskey Society
Image Credit: Dinastia Real Poster – Aiko Brands
Image Credit: Yu Whiskey – Aiko Brands
Image Credit: Doc Holliday – The World Whiskey Society & Spirits Business Magazine
Image Credit: Headshot by Marcus Ezell
