Hello, I’m Francisco, a graphic designer at Taylor & Pond! I’ve been a graphic designer for over 10 years, perhaps even more if you count my college years. To me, design is the visual execution of ideas. It’s more than just opening Photoshop (or Illustrator) and pasting graphics. It’s making sure every element is cohesive. 

I’ve personally done design for many industries, including sports, law, medical services, food services, and the list goes on, but probably my favorite industry to work in has been the beauty industry. I’ve worked closely with fashion designers, hairstylists, and now with the biggest beauty brands in the world. 

What I like most about the beauty industry is how dynamic and ever-changing it is. It keeps what I do interesting, engaging, and always fresh. And no brand is the same, so each day is a new opportunity to create compelling content. 

But the main question is, what do I do to keep the creativity flowing in this forever-changing industry?

First Things First

I start my day with a great cup of coffee to get the creative juices going. And while at it, I get an overall scope of all that has to be done throughout the day. After all, I work with multiple brands every day! Getting a sense of each brand every morning helps me canalize the needs of every client, what they are aiming for, and how I can make the next artwork even better than the previous one. 

Find Design Inspiration 

I personally research what my favorite brands are doing in design and where they are going with their overall design. It’s a great way to pull inspiration and pick up on trending seasonal colors. I also constantly research ways to give branded content a humane or relatable touch. During this process, be sure to pay attention to what people are liking (and hating), so the content you create stands out and always has positive comments flowing in.

Design With Your Audience in Mind 

When creating designs, aside from making cohesive elements stand out, I believe social media graphics have to be somewhat relatable. I check what larger and smaller brands are doing and see how they engage with their followers. Content can be great in our eyes, but if the followers don’t engage, then it’s wasted time. Remember that an engaged follower is a potential customer either in the short term or long term!

My 5 Second Rule

The digital world is always changing. Trends change basically every month, and as a graphic designer, I have to stay on top of every one of them. One of my main missions is to captivate potential customers and followers in 5 seconds or less. Mixing branded content and memes or creating a visually appealing animation can help boost engagement rates. It also helps keep the brand modern and relevant. A swipe can literally take a second, so every design needs to be eye-catching. 

Courtesy // Jergens

Exceed Yesterday’s Standards by EOD

The biggest success is seeing all parties excited about the content at the end of the day. The client, the followers, my peers, and the list goes on. I take each brand to heart as if they were my own company and put out only the best. I sometimes stop and think to myself, “If I were the client, would I approve this?” If the answer is no, I go back and make it perfect. 

Before closing, I would like to share a quote from my favorite artist (and sometimes source of inspiration), Shakira!

“Why should I do it wrong if I can do it good? Why should I do it good when I can do it really good? Why should I do it really good when I can do it great?”

Want to learn more about content creation? Check out our Content page here.