Who’s Up Next? - Carly Mack

We sit down with this amazingly talented graphic designer to discuss her creative process, favorite aspects of designing and her future goals in this industry.

Joho: Thank you for joining us, Carly. Would you start by telling us who is Carly Mack and how did she become an artist??

Carly: I'm a 24 year old graphic designer with a passion for music and vintage pop culture. I accidentally became an artist back in the 2020 lockdown when I got bored and started playing around with my free student subscription of Adobe. I ended up making free cover art for local rappers in exchange for weed (lol). Over time I actually got good at making cover art and started to post my work online and the rest is history.

Joho: In your designs, you put a lot of attention to detail in the textures and it gives your work a retro, classic feel. How would you describe your approach to designing? How did you develop your signature style?
Carly: I've always been interested in vintage cars, music, art, furniture, you name it. Whenever I find inspiration for my work, I'm drawn to vintage advertising and print, so it's no surprise that it translates to my designs. I never made a point to specifically define my style until I realized people started commissioning me specifically for vintage and realistic textures. My best work is hardly thought out at all, and it randomly hits me so hard that I have to immediately work on it. If I overthink anything, I'll probably never finish!

Joho: I know from personal experience commissioning you for designs, I do not do nearly enough to bring ideas to you and it leads to you having to do a lot of heavy lifting. How do you manage dealing with difficult clients? How do you gather inspiration for designs when you have nothing to work with?
Carly: You're not difficult at all! Many times it can be easier to work with clients who give me creative control. As long as we communicate and understand the art direction, I always have a good experience with any client. My favorite source of inspiration is Pinterest! I can find anything from vintage match box designs, to a random collection of magazines.

Joho: I’ve seen you design posters, ads, merchandise, cover art - so many different styles. What type of project do you enjoy working on most?

Carly: I love working on full-scope branding projects for musicians. Individual cover art, merch, etc is fun, but I love creating entire cohesive campaigns. My dream would be to design for a music festival and play a part in leading the creative direction for merch, advertising, and various collateral at the event.

Joho: What role does music play in your work? What are some of your favorite music related designs you’ve done?

Carly: Music is everything to me! I cannot work in silence and always listen to some kind of playlist or album. My favorite music project has definitely been a tour poster for one of my favorite artists, Alina Baraz. She's been an inspiration since I started designing and I'm still so grateful to have gotten that opportunity.

Joho: Who are you currently drawing inspiration from and how is it reflected in your work? 

Carly: My personal work has definitely been going through an overhaul this year and I'd say I'm becoming more independent with my stylistic choices. I still naturally gravitate towards vintage design, but since working with more agencies this year, I have a more polished and less gritty look to my work.

Joho: What are some other things in life you’re enjoying right now outside of your work?

Carly: These days I'm very busy decorating my new apartment, working out, and trying to maintain a social life. I'm definitely a workaholic so I'm thankful for my partner and friends who always encourage me to go out and enjoy all life offers me.

 Joho: What does a typical day of work look like for you? How is balancing everything with life outside of work?

Carly: Right now I'm prioritizing projects I get from the design agency I work with, so I typically spend all morning on those projects. If I'm working on a freelance project, I'll start that in the afternoon. If I have any time left, I'll work on my UX/UI course and edit my portfolio. 

Joho: Do you ever collaborate with other designers on any pieces or do you feel like it's too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen situation?
Carly: I love to collaborate! I've only done it a couple times because I've been so busy with client work and hardly do any personal designs these days. It's so much easier working with someone else because I don't get stuck in my own head and can create without worrying too much about perfection.

Joho: When we met you were managing Khai Cozzy at a gig in Houston. Will we be seeing you involved in any other music work soon?

Carly: Being an art director for musicians is definitely a major life goal of mine, but right now I'm in the grind of doing any work that gets thrown at me- music or not. I'm trying to meet the right people and climb up the ladder in order to get to where I want to be. Music will always lead my creativity no matter what!

Joho: What’s next for Carly Mack? Any exciting projects we should be looking out for?

Carly: I'm slowly working on my new portfolio and it's by far the best I've ever had! I've been working hard on learning UX/UI so I'll be featuring an app/web design I'm proud of. I'm just trying to make a living off of what I love, and part of that process means taking a pause to get better at what I do and present my work to the right people. I can't wait until I can make a comeback on social media and start to post more work again!