Hye, I'm Ayelet (ah-yell-let), I'm a brand designer and illustrator and love to work with female-led businesses that love all things pink, cute and different. I've been a graphic designer/illustrator for about 4 years, but I pivoted to brand designer almost 3 years ago now and I'm honestly loving every second of it. I truly feel like I found my calling and my dream job/life and now, all I want to help others realize their dreams and potential because we all deserve to live our best lives!
"Hey Ayelet! Can you take us back to that moment in June 2021 when it all began? What was going through your mind when you decided to take the leap into brand design and start your Instagram journey? We're dying to know!"
I always tell everyone that your whole life can change in one day, for good or for bad, so you should always be open, present and giving to every opportunity - because that is *exactly* what happened to me.
It was June 2021, I had just got married a few weeks earlier and had experienced a really hard loss 2 months before that. It was a super hard time in my life and I spent every day living with this deep happiness and love but also an intense grief, I was so lost and so emotionally drained. I also had no job at this point and had no clue what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go.
But, like I said, everything can change in just one day.
I was lying on the couch, scrolling on YouTube and I stumbled across a video of someone creating a brand identity from scratch - it was cute, it was pink and it was *so* me.
I had some background in graphic design, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with it until I saw this video. It totally blew my mind that you could create this whole brand, this whole world with so much thought, attention and meaning - I immediately knew I wanted to do that too! So, I opened up my computer, made myself a quick logo and started an Instagram account. I had no plan for it at this point, I just told myself I would post something - anything - once a day and see what happens. I honestly didn't give it much thought and I didn't have any expectations for it but I think that's why it worked - there was no pressure, just genuine passion!
Fast forward a year, I had reached 100K followers, spoken at 2 design summits, become an Adobe Express Ambassador and was truly living my dream life - and I'm so grateful for it every day.
"So, finding your niche in digital design sounds like destiny calling! What was it about brand design that spoke to your soul and made you say, 'Yes, this is it!' Was there a specific 'aha' moment that sealed the deal?"
I think it was that brand design/designing a brand identity for a business requires and can hold so much meaning, symbolism, story and personality in a way that designing just a flyer or some basic illustration (like I was doing before finding brand design) doesn't. In all the branding projects I do, I love to incorporate so much meaning and so much of the owner's story into every aspect of it - even down to the fonts we choose.
I once had a client who loved New York and lived there for a few years so it has a very special place in her heart and she wanted her branding to have a bit of a New York feel. So, keeping this in mind, one of the fonts I chose for her brand was Helvetica, which is the font used in all the subway stations and signs - it has such a deep New York history. It was a subtle homage to New York and it made the brand have this very metropolitan, New York feeling without being right in your face.
It's the little details like that, that I just love to add to what I create. That's for sure why I love brand design so much.
"Ayelet, we love a spontaneous "boss babe"! Tell us about the exhilarating feeling of starting your Instagram and diving headfirst into the world of digital design. How did it feel to finally discover your true calling and see your vision come to life?"
It was the most incredible feeling! Every day I would put in so much time and effort into making something to post and to see my account start to grow felt so overwhelming in the best way!
It wasn't really just about the numbers/follower count (even though that feels great too), but it was also seeing all the nice messages and comments from other designers who wanted to learn from me or give me advice. Everything just felt so right, and it was such an incredible feeling to get to do that every day for work.
They say if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life and that is *exactly* how I felt and I hope that everyone can live their lives like this.
"Okay, spill the tea! As you embarked on this journey of growth and self-discovery, what were some of the biggest lessons you learned along the way? Any unexpected challenges or magical moments that made you say, 'Wow, I'm really living my best life'?"
Hmm, I would say the biggest lesson I learnt was that you have to trust the process. No one is going to start off and immediately be the best in their field. You *will* embarrass yourself and be cringe at times, you're gonna put work out there that in 6 months' time you look back on and hate. That's kind of just how it goes but you have to do it. You just have to let yourself be bad for a while but be okay with that!
I always have people ask me how they can get over feeling anxious to post their work or how you can get over imposter syndrome. The short answer: You don't really get over it, you just have to stop listening to it.
When I started out, I would always be anxious before posting anything, but I would just force myself to do it and then not allow my brain to think about it after I pressed 'share'.
You just have to keep pushing and keep trying your best. It's ok to be cringe - in fact it's necessary.
Magical Moment that made you say, 'Wow, I'm really living my best life'?
When I was digital nomading in Paris last year with my husband and after work we went and got some baguettes, wine and cheese and sat under the Eiffel Tower, having a picnic and watching the sunset.
It was in that moment that I knew all the hard work, stress, cringe posts and long hours, had truly been so worth it and I had really created my dream life - I've never wanted to cry with gratitude more than that moment.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Honestly, the whole brand design community on Instagram is insane. the talent on there is unreal and everyone is so incredible, it's actually hard to believe sometimes.
2 Boss Babes in particular though are my fellow Glow and Grow Club founders - Victoria and Olivia. I love them and their work so much!
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Such a good question! Tel Aviv has the most adorable cafes with the best of the best branding! I love exploring all of them and seeing all the outstanding designs - so for sure some of them. I also live a 10-minute walk to the beach now (which is my heaven on earth) so, 100%, gotta go there too!
Thank you for your time today. Please let our readers know how they can find you and follow your journey.
Thanks so much for having me! You can find me on Instagram @designbyayelet - same on TikTok, Pinterest and Behance. I'm also in the middle of a HUGE rebrand so give me a follow so you can see the very epic launch in a few months!