Learn More About Your Designer, Sarah Kohout

My passion for graphic design was sparked in my teens, specifically with the UI changes brought on by iOS 7 in 2013, and the minimalist-ification of every new website, product design, and advertisement following. This new trend of design was the first I actively noticed and is reflected in my earlier work where I am impartial to rounded edges and flat colors and gradients. As I grew into a more experienced artist, my repertoire expanded, and I developed a keen sense of what would be attractive to the demographic I am appealing to.  

When I consider the shape and form of a piece I’m designing, I am putting my emotional perception of my goal into the graphics I create. I develop logos, illustrations, graphics, patterns, and other visual aids to help convey the subject’s feelings to the audience, and I deeply enjoy channeling the emotionally abstract side of my mind into the analytical rules of my designs. The work I do always has little touches and details that work together to compliment the feelings I am intending to evoke from the viewer. 

The process of deciding how a design should feel always starts with the juvenile. Most of my ideas are ruled by the opinions of a very fussy little kid inside my head, who will only get chicken nuggets if the packaging looks cool. If the third grader in my head would judge my designs as lame or not be able to understand who it's for, I need to revise. Maybe make it more eye-catching or serious looking or rugged to make a little kid with a small perception of the world understand whether the product is for his stay-at-home mom or outdoorsy dad or punk older brother. These semiotics are foundational to communicating with the audience, and most folks will still have an initial reaction to the design that sparks that juvenile simplistic understanding of the world. That is exactly the moment I am constantly striving to connect with the viewer in.