Q: Let’s talk about your road to design.
A: It's funny because I definitely didn't even know what design really was when I started going to school for it. I knew I wanted to do something artistic, but I also wanted stability. I was working at a youth nonprofit in high school and part of the program helped us figure out what they wanted to do in college, and I landed on commercial arts or something like that. In our first year in school, we were mostly doing foundational art — painting and sculpting and things like that — which is so different than what applied visual design and graphic design is like. I didn't really understand what visual design and graphic design was, but I got really lucky and I ended up falling in love with it. I have been doing design professionally for about 8 years.
Q: Where do you turn for inspiration?
A: I think a lot of times it'll come from going to galleries, museums and seeing other designer’s work. But I'm also really inspired by different mediums. So I’ll find a silk scarf at a thrift store that has a really interesting pattern or color palette, and I'll borrow from different mediums to bring into my work. I think a lot of times it's what's around me, like hand-painted signs or fauna and flora. I also love going to art book fairs. Those are the best.
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Q: What are some challenges you face as a designer?
A: I think a lot of times I'm torn with time and resource constraint versus the kind of exploration that I actually want to do. When you're working on client projects you have to be mindful of time and money being spent and it doesn't always leave room for experimenting. So that's always a challenge. Because at the end of the day, you just want to make the best work you can possibly make. That's always a balance. I think the best way to overcome that is to have a personal project going on so that you have a place to put that energy. You can experiment and not have any constraints, and it doesn't have to come out looking great.
Q: Do you have any interesting personal projects in the works?
A: I've been doing some block printing and having a good time with that. I've done different printing techniques like screen printing and letterpress. They're really fun but you need a pretty big set up and space. With block printing, you can do it at home and at any size. And you get to work with your hands, so that's been really fun. I'm working on some prints of my cats right now.
Q: What are your goals for the agency in the next 5 years?
A: We've been hosting the Brand Builder Workshop, which has been wonderful to connect with people and get them excited about branding. We’re working on turning the workshop into a video course, which will make the information super accessible to anyone!
Q: How do you spend your free time?
A: I like to travel, dance, garden, try new foods and wines. My happy place is at the beach and my guilty pleasure is anything true crime!
Q: You have deep connections to the Bay Area. What do you feel is so special about it?
A: It’s hard to wrap it up! We have a unique identity, culture and history and I feel like a lot of the people have a sense of wanting to give back to the city that raised us, myself included. There's a really strong sense of community amongst the people that grew up here. My family didn't lock our doors for like a long time while I was growing up, which is surprising for a city. There were always people we knew around that would look out for us and I think it speaks to the feeling of community.
Anastasia Salazar Ltd. is an independent design studio for tailored branding and digital designs. Reach out to learn how we can help you fuel growth and maximize your brand’s impact.