S03 S04: The Enduring Power of Curiosity with Alyssa Yuhas, Award-Winning Art Director and Designer
Creativity doesn’t only exist in the form of design, photography, or tangible art-making, but also in the form of creative problem solving, which is equally as important. Today’s guest is Alyssa Yuhas, an award-winning designer, multidisciplinary art director, and co-founder of the Designer VACA. She is also the mother of two beautiful young boys and is currently pursuing her Masters’s Degree. Overall, Alyssa has a wealth of knowledge in the design, curiosity, and creativity spaces, and, tuning in, you’ll hear her perspective on creative problem solving, client relationships, and nurturing curiosity. She also elaborates on the importance of leaving space for perspective in your client relationships, surrounding yourself with good people, and prioritizing over-communication, as well as being intentional rather than reactionary, being strategic about which voices to amplify, and staying off Pinterest! Alyssa believes everyone is creative and that, if you stay curious and look around you, you will find that creativity is everywhere. To find out more about the enduring power of curiosity, tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Learn a bit more about Alyssa’s background and her career trajectory.
- How she chose between being a graphic designer versus getting a “real job.”
- Encouraging creativity and curiosity in her kids by modeling it for them, not teaching it.
- The power of creative problem solving: why Alyssa believes that everyone is creative
- What sparked her interest in going back to school and pursuing her Masters’s Degree.
- Hear about Alyssa’s freelance and consulting work, what she does, and why she loves it.
- The formula for good design that communicates: Alyssa shares her creative process.
- Working closely with her clients but also leaving enough space for perspective.
- Alyssa shares some of her favourite projects, including Darling magazine, the UN, and Nike.
- The value of working with good people who are also trying to put interesting things out.
- Nurturing strong client relationships: Alyssa prioritizes over-communicating.
- Teaching your client how to treat you; some boundaries that Alyssa sets with clients.
- Alyssa speaks about Designer VACA, what it is, and how it started.
- How COVID has affected Designer VACA and what their next steps are.
- Alyssa’s perspective on ethical advertising: it is intentional, not reactionary.
- Choosing which voices to amplify and acknowledging your responsibility as a designer.
- How the events of 2020 have changed the way Alyssa approaches design and the work she produces for her clients.
- How Alyssa stays relevant by being as curious as possible (and staying off Pinterest)!
- Hear about her experience of the creativity of her community during COVID.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Alyssa Yuhas on LinkedIn
Alyssa Yuhas on Instagram
Alyssa Yuhas
Designer VACA
Darling
Kate Aren
Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).
For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/
Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oli
Information
- Show
- FrequencyUpdated Weekly
- PublishedFebruary 24, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. UTC
- Length1 hr
- Season3
- Episode4
- RatingClean