Hi, I’m Ella.

Designer, photographer, activist, writer, poet

For as long as I can remember I’ve had the itch to improve and beautify things around me, and I believe that’s what led me to this career path. Design to me is all about strategizing the look, feel, and function of something to be the best it can be for its context.

At my internship at William Fox Munroe, I had the opportunity to apply that approach to package design work for clients such as Crider and Hershey Chocolate. In my free time, I have also worked on freelance logo design work for local restaurant Yak n Yeti, and promotional material design for regional company Leading Age PA.

For nearly every Kutztown University club I have led or been a part of I have redesigned the brand and the result was a more cohesive and recognizable identity. I have a particular interest in web and UX/UI design. In addition to design skills, other skills that complement my work include video editing, photography, knowledge of psychology, and classical art mediums.

Not only have I spent my time practicing design and developing those skills, I have also gained a great deal of leadership experience as well. I am not one to shy away from stepping up to a needed role and making it happen. Over my time leading and organizing for numerous cause-based non-profits and university clubs, I have had a great deal of practice gathering and rallying a group, planning events and meetings, mediating disagreements, and keeping things running smoothly and according to schedule. I am not a stranger to doing a news interview for an event I helped run and setting up an organization system customized to the task at hand is my second nature.

If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. That’s the attitude I apply not only to my leadership roles but also to my schooling. In the years of college that I have completed, I have maintained a strong and consistent work ethic and standard for myself. I have been accepted and inducted into two honors societies and have received Dean’s List recognition every year of my college career. My GPA has also helped me in being awarded four scholarships.

My dream job is to do graphic design and packaging design for a plant-based food company or otherwise vegan brand! I’ve been vegan for over 7 years and it’s an area of expertise for me; I would love to use my knowledge to help a plant-based food company succeed and make a difference on a daily basis at grocery stores and everywhere else!

Listen up

I had the honor of being the interviewed guest on Episode 70 of the Be Kind Podcast presented by the Animal Advocates of South Central PA.

The podcast talks to vegans and like-minded folks in the community and beyond. They also do reviews for books, movies, shows, and highlight vegan businesses in the surrounding areas. The Be Kind Podcast strives to have thought-provoking discussions about current vegan issues, educate on new media, and promote vegan living to all who listen.

My Coolest Features

WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE

Making it Happen

I am not one to shy away from stepping up to a needed role and making it happen. Over my time leading and organizing for a long list of cause-based non-profits and university clubs, I have had a great deal of practice gathering and rallying a group, planning events and meetings, mediating disagreements, and keeping things running smoothly and according to schedule. I am not a stranger to doing a news interview for an event I helped run or recording an episode of a podcast. Setting up an organization system customized to the task at hand is my second nature.
The Niche is Me

Ironically, I never had planned on becoming a designer, yet here I am! I've always had a wide array of interests. Hats I've worn include "musician" "actor" "athlete" "teacher" "dancer" "organizer" and "writer". For a while, I couldn't decide on what my "thing" is. Now, I believe you don't have to, as everything you learn and experience comes into use in ways you can never imagine.
Type is Everything

Even if you don't consider yourself a reader, you read way more on an everyday basis than you realize. From texts and social media posts to the weather report Siri delivers you each morning. Typography is incredibly powerful in how we relate to those words and in the context of a brand, it sets the tone even when we aren't paying attention to it. I pay extra attention to how I treat my typography and in my own time I love practicing some hand-lettering... and the results are well worth it.
Vegan Nerdy & Proud

In 6+ years of being vegan, I've learned a great deal about everything vegan and the issues that our lifestyles impact. The interactions between vegans and non-vegans, and the wants and needs of both sides of the coin. I have experience in vegan outreach and activism and throughout my time at Kutztown, when I had a chance to make a project vegan-related, I chose to. From creating resources for new vegans to designing awesome plant-based products that appeal to the average consumer, using my design skills to help the animals is why I do what I do.
Seeing the Big Picture

When doing work for a client, I seek to have a good grasp of the entire company, vision, or project. Even if it's just creating a logo, striving to understand the context of the work by understanding the real people I'm working with (and their awesome vision) helps tremendously. The essence of a project and its impact reaches way further than we typically think. By diving deep, I'm about to create a seamless finished product that feels like it was, well, designed just right.
It's All in Our Heads

Psychology has always been a prominent area of study for me outside of my major. I have taken many elective psychology and sociology classes and have always had a fascination with how our minds work. In order to get the best result, it's important to know how our minds interpret the content and the factors that impact our experience. For a website design, understanding the nature of how the target audience interacts with the interface is key to creating a successful product. For packaging, learning how we make conclusions based on what we are presented with can make all the difference.