Photo: Courtesy of CardStock by FiS
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
I was always drawing and coloring throughout elementary and high school. I actually used to design the typography of a person’s name by hand during class and color it with pens or markers and then give them out to classmates. I then learned graphic design at Touro College and have been working as a graphic designer at marketing firms for the past 5 years.
What inspired you to become an artist?
I’ve always been interested in drawing and calligraphy. In college I was actually tyring to major in web development but by mistake ended up in graphic design and loved it, so I never switched!
What is your specialty?
My specialty is working with words and typography. I always say that I’m not an artist, I’m a graphic designer – I’m visually interpreting a concept and there’s a specific goal to each design. Art is up to the viewers’ interpretation, but design has one interpretation.
How and where do you work?
I currently work full time as the art director at 14Minds, a marketing firm in the 5 Towns. Our entire team is remote, so I work from home on an iMac. In the evening I work on CardStock and Frocks in Stock when I have time.
What is the most indispensable item in your workspace?
Wifi! I use the internet for gathering inspiration for colors, typography and general ideas or styles. Even without my laptop I can still sketch on paper, and I do all the time, but without wifi it would be much harder to be as prolific.
Where do you take your inspiration? Are you pursuing any themes?
Mainly from Pinterest, but also a little from Instagram, Behance and Dribble. I like to design in series’, so a series of Purim cards or a series of motivational quotes. What connects the series and makes it cohesive is either the content, the design style, or both.
Do you do bespoke work?
For sure! I’m a trained graphic designer so my expertise is in understanding the nuances behind a client’s request and bringing out their unspoken vision, personality and style in the design.
What projects are you currently working on?
Too many! I want to create a series of Mazal Tov cards that can be tweaked/customized for different occasions; think Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, Upsherin, Wedding etc. a series of inspirational quotes/pesukim, and I’m also considering a series of more sarcastic Jewish cards, onspired by @yidwithsign.
What is your favourite item in your current collection?
My personal favorite card is the black and gold Purim card. I love how understated and elegant it is.
How do you know when a piece is finished?
When I look at it and I love it, then I know that I’ve succeeded. None of my designs make their way to public eyes until I can step away from it for a while and come back to it and still love it. If I look at it and something is still bothering me, even if I’m not sure what, then I know I have to keep playing around with it.
What was the first artwork you ever sold?
A Valentine’s Day ecard in my Etsy shop. It’s not one that I would ever promote on my personal channels because it’s a holiday that’s not connected to our religion, but it was my first ever Etsy sale.
Which project have you enjoyed working on the most so far?
All of them! If I’m not enjoying working on a design, then it won’t usually come out as good because I’m not having fun and being creative with it. And since I do this in my spare time at night, I definitely don’t want to be spending my time doing work I don’t enjoy.
What do you want to achieve with your work and what are your wishes for the future?
I have a number of goals; one is to make authentic Jewish designs more readily available for people. Another is to create designs that warm people’s hearts when they look at it, the way they warm my heart when I look at a beautiful design that I love. In short, I want to impact people in a positive way.
Where can we find your work?
Website: https://www.frocksinstock.com/cardstock
Etsy Shop: https://cardstockbyfis.etsy.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cardstock_fis/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cardstockbyfis/
My personal portfolio/website is here: https://deenaenglard.myportfolio.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deenaenglard/
Photos: Courtesy of CardStock by FiS
