Allie Hernandez
Brand Designer / Art Director / Prop Stylist
San Francisco, CA
Q What do you do?
“I am part Art Director and part Brand Designer.”
I love working with clients to bring their brand to life in both digital and print design, as bringing imagery to life through Art & Creative Direction on Photo Shoots.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I studied Visual Communications & Branding at the University of Kansas and honed my type skills at Hochschule Trier in Germany for a semester abroad. Upon graduating I taught English in Colombia for 6 months and continued to seek inspiration from new places to inform my design work. After coming back to the States, I worked as an in-house Brand Designer for almost 4 years at Aura Frames. After working in the DTC tech space, I branched as an independent creative so I could explore both brand design and art direction opportunities with a variety of clients.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
My constant curiosity for learning new skills is something that sets me apart as well as makes me a better creative every day. I want to be a lifetime learner– and I believe it’s an important part of staying inspired. Some of my favorite classes I’ve taken in later years have been Spanish, Cooking, and Art History — all of which have informed my creative ideas and process! I love hearing about other people's passions as well, it’s such a beautiful way to learn about their stories.
Q What are you working on right now?
Currently, I’m an Independent Designer focusing on brand work and Art Director focusing on the photo space. I work with clients in hospitality spaces, food, DTC product, and wellness spaces. I love working for brands and products that I’m passionate about and that align with my values– bonus points if it’s a product I already use!
Q What’s your style?
My style is always ebbing and flowing, as I’m really inspired by my surroundings and experiences. From taking in flowers on a morning jog to visiting a hip restaurant on a trip, I’m always taking in inspiration from life around me.
In the Art Direction space, a recent favorite project I did was working with Fellow Drops to create evergreen brand imagery for their product. As a daily consumer of specialty coffee, this was a project close to my heart and it was an honor to visualize their craft for picking the best coffee in the world into the final images that we created.
In the branding space, a recent project that showcases my workflow and love of bright colors is a Colombian restaurant I branded called MIJA. This was a passion project inspired by the magical and generous country of Colombia. This project shows how I seek inspiration through travel and my love for creating an experience out of a brand.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Cooking has become a huge passion of mine, inspired by my love for eating good food and hosting my friends for dinner. I love how it brings out another side of my creativity, and I wish I could take professional classes and cook all day!
Q What is frustrating you right now?
As an extrovert who thrives off of working with others, the pandemic zoom life has been draining for me. I miss human time IRL!
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I would hire a Web Developer! I’m constantly thinking of fun new ways to display my work on my portfolio and I’d love to be able to be pushing the creativity on my website.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I would tell my younger self to keep pursuing creative adventures, and to trust yourself! Keep following the spark inside of you and you can’t go wrong.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
This is a hard thing to answer because I have SO many passions and interests that excite me. But thinking in terms of me as a freelancer, I’d love to talk to a finance expert on goals and best practices for my business. On a more fun note, I’d love to talk to an expert baker and learn more about the science behind the perfect chocolate croissant.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I’m looking for Art Direction and Branding work specifically in the food and hospitality spaces. I’d love to work more with boutique hotels + restaurants as well as travel services for millennials, or people pushing the boundaries in the travel space. I’m also interested in skincare and wellness, and am always on the hunt for the next creative DTC product. Overall, I’m looking to work with good people to create great design experiences.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
My ideal job would be branding something in the hospitality space– restaurant, boutique hotel, coffee shop… or all of the above? As I love travel, spaces, etc., I really enjoy the process of building a brand for these spaces. From the interiors to the first IG post, everything needs to feel like the same living brand and that’s an exciting challenge.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Just send a friendly message to hello@alexandra-creative.com! Tell me a little bit about your project and why you’d like to work together. Also if you just want to meet to say hello, I’m always down for a virtual coffee.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
My previous boss at Aura Frames, Scott Chapps, taught me so much about brand strategy and experience. He’s an incredible designer and always inspired and pushed me to be better which I’m very thankful for!
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Getting off the computer and into the world.
This member profile was originally published in May 2021, updated January 2022.