Lauren Hakmiller

Where did you study and what were some of your first jobs?

I studied at The University of Kansas in the School of Design. I began as a photography major because that’s where I was most experienced, but I quickly found that switching to Visual Communications gave me the creative challenge I craved. I’ve had a number of internships in Kansas City, they all taught me something different. My first internship was at Design Ranch, it was a great first step into the design world. I got to learn from some wildly creative brains, develop a caffeine addiction and wear cool outfits every day. Then I went to Whiskey Design, where I got to work on a huge range of projects, they really put a lot of trust into their interns, although sending my first client email was terrifying to say the least. Then I went to Carpenter Collective where I’ll intern until the end of this summer. At Carpenter Collective I get to design, illustrate and do some photography - it’s pretty dreamy day to day & I get to learn from the best of the best!

Any hilarious stories about you as a kid being creative?

When I was little I thought the best gift you could possibly receive was a stack of white computer paper and a freshly sharpened pencil. I assumed everyone liked to draw as much as I did and my parents had a hard time convincing me otherwise. When it came time for a neighborhood yard sale I threw a full-blown temper tantrum because my parents wouldn't let me sell stacks of white computer paper lemonade-stand-style to our neighbors. I didn’t understand that not everyone would pay top dollar for fresh drawing materials.

Who are your top five design crushes globally right now?

1. Fisk in Portland, OR

2. Futura in Mexico City

3. Caterina Bianchini Studio in UK

4. Yeye Weller in Germany

5. Anagrama Studio in Mexico City

How did you develop your style as an illustrator and what tips would you have for others?

It's taken me a long time to figure out a process that works for me, now I know good things come from layers and layers of tracing paper and hand drafting and a healthy amount of photoshop. I try my hardest to explore other illustration styles that push my technical skills, getting bogged down into one "look" has never interested me. I would encourage aspiring illustrators to explore as much as they can in their making, some of my favorite textures have come from worn out sharpies or crinkled tracing paper.