From branding and identity to digital illustration, Gracie Healey is a creative that wears all sorts of creative hats but calls herself a graphic designer an illustrator for the sake of convenience. She’s spent the last decade working in creative spaces in Oman, Dubai and the UK delivering energetic and engaging visuals for digital and print.
How did you get into the industry?
My Dad was the Creative Director for a publishing company in Oman, and a very talented artist. I grew up in Oman surrounded by art, culture, and design with fun little weekend trips to the printing press when a publication needed to be signed off, going to the art department of a busy agency and seeing all the inner workings, attending photoshoots - a whole bunch of amazing things that opened my eyes to the power of design and visual communication.
I decided to follow the same path, studied Graphic Arts & Design at LMU, and after graduating went straight into working with agencies and freelancing with major brands in Oman.
Where are you based now and who do you work for?
I’m currently based in Liverpool. I moved back to the UK a year ago. I’ve just started a new role working remotely with White Label Studio and their team. Outside of work I freelance with a wide variety of creatives, companies and individuals, in graphics and illustrative spaces. Most recently I was freelancing with Cambridge Uni Students’ Union, Bidwells UK and Silsal Design House in Dubai.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
I really couldn’t imagine myself working in any other industry, but if I were doing anything else in the world, I would be working in health or social care.
Can you explain your creative process? What makes it unique?
Spending 25 years in Oman has completely moulded my creative process and the way I approach projects. My first thought tends to be what language will I be working in, and what, if any cultural significance / do I need to work with.
I study my brief, or create one from scratch if it’s not there, and confer with clients to make sure we are on the same page. If I’m illustrating I sketch / note down random ideas throughout the day, get my iPad out and work from there, just creating until the piece feels done.
How would you describe your style?
Punchy, bold, different. It took me a while to define my style. I used to work freehand, but making the move over to digital illustration opened a huge new world for me
Which individuals do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
Kerry Roper – Saatchi & Saatchi, Amy Kilner Design – NFT Artist / 3D Artist / she wears all sorts of hats, Nic Mac – Illustrator and Muralist, Iain Macarthur – Illustrator. My inspiration net is constantly expanding, there is a never ending list of talented individuals out there that I gain new inspiration from daily.
What tips would you give to aspiring creatives looking for work?
Network, network, network. Send that message that you’re unsure of sending, post that new project on as many socials as you can, don’t be afraid to tag people or companies that you want to work with, get your name out there and give people a reason to remember you!
What tips would you give to other professionals to get more clients?
Talk to people, use your existing connections and make new ones. You don’t need to pester people or companies, I go by that old adage - if you don’t ask you don’t get.
What kind of tools/kit/software could you not do without?
Online tools are a life saver, whether its stock assets or copy writing – these things are out there for free, so definitely make the most of them! Adobe and Procreate are my go to’s. Alternatives like Affinity are brilliant too when you don’t have access to Adobe though.
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
Most creatives go through peaks and troughs, so if I need a bit of illustration inspo, music works wonders. My little ‘tip of the day’ is getting out the house, shopping, a park, walk through town, anything - and look for patterns, products, art in the everyday. The more you see, more you look at and more you immerse yourself in, the more ideas are then created.
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
At the start of my career, I worked with an agency to rebrand Oman Cancer Association, taking it from small local charity to the now nationally recognised go to Cancer Association in Oman supporting, advising and providing access to healthcare and information for a variety of cancers.
To date my proudest project, although I have some amazing projects in the pipeline which involve helping under privileged communities. Look out for that project drop!
What is the one thing that you would change about the industry?
Access into the industry and working for larger clients for new creatives. It can be incredibly difficult and challenging to get noticed, to even squeeze your way in to an already very competitive market, especially nowadays.
But that doesn’t mean you should ever give up though. Keep on going, it’s never too late to start something new. Make as many connections and foster as many long-term working relationships as you can.
Any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
Resources – Behance for inspo and connections, Unblast for mockups, 0to255 for all things colour
Books – The Art of Not Giving a F***
