Getting to Know Emily
We’re catching up with Grapevyne’s Director of Branding and Design — our resident “crazy chicken lady” — Emily! She’s been known to show up to our co-working space bearing gifts of homegrown potatoes, and dreams of spending her days painting in the garden like a true lady of leisure. If Emily won the lottery, she’d definitely spend the money on plants! This retired synchronized swimmer is our go-to for all things creative. Fortunately for us (and our clients), Emily’s childhood dreams of becoming a veterinarian fairy princess fell through, and now we get to plaster her brilliant design work on everything from office wall murals to taco wrappers!
Vyne: What is your favorite design medium?
Emily: In traditional mediums, I've always loved pencil drawing and acrylic painting. When I have free time, I still dabble in acrylic for fun. For professional work, I love the capabilities of Photoshop. There are so many cool things you can create with it. I'm still discovering new features even after 20 years of using it!
Vyne: What is your favorite Grapevyne project from 2024?
Emily: We've done so many fun projects, it's hard to choose! I had a great time working on the Border Foods spring recruiting campaign. It's awesome to see my work displayed at every Taco Bell I drive by. Another project that was really exciting to be a part of was the website for Shamrock Company. I sent it to my whole family after it went live because I was so proud of our work!
Vyne: What was your first job?
Emily: My very first job was doing a paper route in the neighborhood I grew up in. I also did a lot of babysitting. My first "real" job out of college was as a designer for a local magazine publishing company.
Vyne: What’s your work-from-home vibe?
Emily: I own a bunch of chickens and a house rabbit named “Hopper” who likes to hop around at my feet when I work from home.
Vyne: Craziest thing you've done for work?
Emily: I've done all kinds of weird things for photoshoots like fashioning prom corsages out of taco bell wrappers, disco-tiling a taco, throwing sauce packets at people and dancing behind the camera to get people to smile. I've also been a “hand model” more times than I can count.
Vyne: What's on your vision board for 2025?
Emily: I'd love to continue to work on branding projects. I also really enjoy creating illustrative murals and artwork for franchisees. So, who wants to fancy up their office space?
Vyne: What's your favorite thing about working for Grapevyne?
Emily: There's always something new and different to work on. I get to be involved in all aspects of the projects from beginning to end, which makes it really fulfilling and exciting. I love hearing from our clients how much they love our work!