This week we're featuring designer Ash, of Ash Co. Ash describes her brand vibe as "intentional, impactful, and inspiring." We have to agree. Ash's taste is unmatched and her skill set is vast, everything from illustration to web design. We think you'll really enjoy this interview!

What would you say your design specialty is? I take more of a generalist approach. A lot of designers specialize in type design, web design, or other design based specialities (which produces amazing work don't get me wrong), but I love having the opportunity to dip into all areas of design. I love that with the approach I've taken with design I can impact every part of a brand's visual identity.

What inspires your work? I’m inspired by all the things I surround myself with. I can’t really distill it down to one person or thing. I try and surround myself with art, films, literature, design, music, you name it… that inspires me to be the person (and the designer) I want to be.

Did you go to school or are you self-taught? I went to school for design, and that provided a very solid foundation for my design work. Since then though, my education hasn’t stopped. In order keep perfecting my craft I've challenged myself to take on projects that will push me to learn something new. Through the work that I choose to do, I learn about new design tools, new approaches to design thinking, and learn more about running my own business. That's one thing I wish I had learned more about in school, the operations side of running a business. There has been a huge learning curve to get where I am today, and that process would have been alleviated slightly by taking a couple of business classes while I was in school.

What program do you use the most for your work? The Adobe Creative Suite, and TRELLO for all things operations management.

What keeps you going? I love working. It’s a blessing and a curse. When I don't have client work to do, I create my own side projects to challenge myself and honestly keep myself entertained.

What new skill are you working on that you're excited about? I’ve been learning more and more about animation, and it’s a skill I’d like to dedicate some time and resources to learning more about. The world of 3d animation and illustration is a world that seriously intrigues me.

What's something you want to improve on? Not working, haha. I need to improve setting work hours for myself and committing to those. I really am a person who sits down at 7am and will work until 9pm, which I realize isn’t a healthy approach to work. I need to work on giving myself guard rails so that I can continue to approach my business from a ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint” approach.

Thanks so much for sharing such thoughtful insights with us, Ash! We appreciate you and love everything you're designing and putting out into the world. Can't wait to see your take on 3d animation!

Want to learn more about Ash? Check her out here:

Web: Ashco.studio

Instagram: @ashco.work

Email: ash@ashco.studio

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