Today we’d like to introduce you to Lillian Hyde.
Hi Lillian, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hard work and creativity have been the foundation of my life. I was raised on a farm in Southern Kentucky where almost everyone in my family has lived and/or worked for. From an early age, my mom, grandmother, and aunts saw my talents and pushed me to keep seeking creative outlets. It’s something you don’t come across often — having people around you that genuinely believe you can be so much more than a “starving artist.”
I went to college at the start of covid at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN, as a chemistry major to become a Registered Dietitian originally. (I’m not sure who I was trying to impress with that!) Throughout the online classes, I kept thinking, “Will I still be happy doing this in 20 or 30 years?” The answer was no.
My family always knew art was my passion. After many conversations with my aunt, Lorilee Rager, a Graphic Design professor, I signed up for my first studio class and never looked back.
I became obsessed with color theory and typography. One of the most interesting parts of good design is the math and grids involved. Graphic Design is a mix of skill, strategy, and intuition. My passion for it lies in those three fundamentals because that’s how my brain always worked.
Later on in school, I was accepted into the ACUFF Chair Class with Designer, Rick Griffith, where I learned the value of intuition. In the same time period, I was hired by Austin Peay to design for their library, Felix G. Woodward. They needed a brand refresh and were unveiling a new search engine. Simultaneously, I Interned with two agencies: Peanut Butter Friends and Jenn Cordova Designs who taught me how to connect business and craft. I was slammed with work and loved every minute of it. That period of life was a lot of growth; personally and professionally. My go to saying was “I feel like my brain is in a pressure cooker.” It was true. My world revolved around art + design.
Post-grad, a close family member of mine had a tragedy and I took a hard step back from the world. After a couple of months of reading a book a day and swinging on the porch swing with my grandmother, I started job hunting. Job hunting in the design world is an olympic sport. There’s a lot of truly talented designers out there, more than there are full-time jobs. A couple of months later, I saw the opportunity to work for Marriott’s Gaylord Opryland Resort as a Marketing & PR Coordinator – not exactly the field I wanted to be in, but I hoped it would be a stepping stone. It was. Within 4 months, their graphic design position opened and I landed the role!
Ever since landing my first full-time role, I’ve continued to freelance for non-profits like Make-A-Wish, working off and on with the agencies I interned with, and many local musicians. This brings me to where I am today – a New Girl obsessed plant mom with a million non-work related creative outlets and a proud graphic designer working my tail off (and probably always will) to grow my network of clients and creatives, design work that lands with their audience, and see just how far I can go.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think I would be a designer today if my struggles never happened. They always say “How do you make God laugh…tell him your plan.” Well that’s exactly what I did, until Covid happened. Originally, I wanted to become an architect at the University of Tennessee. Once Covid shut down the world, I changed course to go to Austin Peay temporarily. I ended up getting married, finding my love for design, getting divorced, moving back to my family farm, making lifelong friends, working with amazing companies, and landing a job in my favorite city where I now live with my best friend and fellow creative. I believe everything happens for a reason. Even when it hurts in the moment, there’s still something to learn from that experience and I’ve learned a lot. I wouldn’t be who I am today without those lessons. If you hold on to that mentality as hard as you can, there’s always hope for the future.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in brand & visual identities, event & environmental design, print, digital, and motion design. I’m known for creating layouts with bold, dramatic type hierarchy, and versatile color palettes. None of my work looks exactly the same in the sense my style changes depending on the project, but, there is a sense of cohesion in my work.
One of my more recent large-scale projects was with Foundry Fieldhouse Sports Bar & Taproom in Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland. While I did not create the logo itself, I built the visual identity for the restaurant. Its aesthetic was inspired by Nashville’s history in letterpress combined with its vast sports background. There was limited time to develop the brand but the project went along seamlessly and translated beautifully.
I may not be the best designer in the world, but when it comes down to what really matters to a company, I always deliver. Communication, organization, consistency, and deliverables is what the owner of a Mom and Pop to a Fortune 500 company care about. Of course a client wants their brand to look better than their competitors, stand out, and connect with their target audience, but they want the stress of that side off of their backs. That’s where I come in, do the research, and put in the work.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Not the take things the heart. What sets artists apart from designers (in a way) is designers are always making for others, meaning we always have to adhere to someone else’s vision – for someone else’s audience. It’s natural to have a personal relationship with your work, but you will eventually be shot down on a concept you’re really excited about and that’s part of it. It’s not a personal attack, it’s just what they want and that’s okay.
Taking that a step further, you have to be hard on yourself as you grow in your craft. Projects you were proud of and thought was cutting edge in a few years, your opinion may change or it doesn’t translate anymore. That’s okay because we grow as creatives and so does our work. Throw out the project from 3 years ago and exchange for something that shows how far you’ve come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lillianhyde.design/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianhyde.design/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianhydedesigns
- Other: Email: LillianHydeDesigns@gmail.com
