Meet Staci Janik

Today we’d like to introduce you to Staci Janik.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My interest in typography started when I was young. I’ve always been interested in how words and letters look depending on how they are created. Throughout high school, I was in worked in visual merchandising at a local department store. I used to have to manually adjust the spacing between the large wooden and foam letters. I didn’t realize these where design related job tasks at the time but I was learning about hierarchy with signage, windows and shelf displays.

I didn’t formally begin studying design until my late 20s. I moved to Atlanta to study at the Atlanta College of Art, but it merged with SCAD just after I was accepted. I didn’t end up attending and I continued to work in the ophthalmic field for a corneal surgeon. I have always been detail-oriented and I won’t dive too deep into this but working in ophthalmology has its parallels with design. Natural systems tend to be replicated in design and that fascinates me. I eventually studied at the Creative Circus where I taught typography for six years and I recently took a break to take on more freelance design opportunities within the food and retail industry.

I met a bunch of local farmers through friends in my early Atlanta days. I developed a love for this community and these were some of the first people to come to me for design so the type of work that I do is now restaurant, food, or farm-related.

Has it been a smooth road?
I suppose it looks smoother in hindsight but changing careers in my late 20s was a really big challenge and I feel I’ve had to work extra hard to catch up to where I want to be in the industry. I relied on mentors and friends heavily for guidance in the early stages of my career and the initial obstacles I found were related to gender disparities within the industry. I didn’t have much female leadership which led to little exposure to the impact and influence women have had in design. These stories would’ve been encouraging at the time where I was surrounded by men making more than me to do the same tasks while also holding almost all the leadership positions.

When I was a Junior Designer, I felt like I was expected to work 50 hour work weeks just to learn the particular ins and outs of a studio because there was so much I didn’t learn in school. I felt undervalued and coupled with low pay and the stress of trying to prove myself, it was defeating. However, a mentor said to me that this arc from school to my first job was only A to B and that next is C to D and that really helped me have some perspective. Maybe I am somewhere between E and F now?

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Staci Janik Studio story. Tell us more about the business.
Staci Janik Studio is a one-woman design studio offering a wide range of graphics services. I provide branding, illustration, art direction, prop styling and digital services at the intersection of food and culture. I believe in honesty, smart design systems and creating with minimal, typography focused intentions. I am proud to be able to work with individuals in the community that are actively changing and growing Atlanta for the better. I think I am different from other studios because I seek to collaborate with business owners that have a really strong vision. Within the hospitality and food-related work I do, I am able to work with clients that understand my value and let me remain in control of the design process as the professional. I have a creative and kind network to work with.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Flexibility, things are changing fast. True accountability for what we make. An increasing need for critical thinking skills required to solve more and more complex problems. The increasing importance of considering user-experience and compelling interactions in digital design.

Contact Info:

• Website: stacijanik.com
• Phone: 4049062102
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @stacijanikstudio
• Twitter: @stacijanik

Image Credit:
Kate Blohm, Andrew Thomas Lee

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