Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Burel.
Hi Jade, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m Jade, a 28-year-old multidimensional illustrator and graphic designer. Having extensive knowledge and an advanced skill set of the Adobe Creative Suite I have been actively working in my career field since graduating magna cum laude from the University of Missouri- St. Louis in 2015. It was there where I got my degree in Fine Arts and Communications, emphasis in graphic design.
I’ve had an interest in art (specifically fine art) since I was 9 years old. People took notice to my early drawings as a kid and praised me on how good they were for my age. I continued on this path all the way up until high school. It was not until I started college at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, that I was introduced to graphic design, and I fell in love. I’ve been at it ever since.
I have worked for a variety of distinguished design firms in the St. Louis area touching on a multitude of creative projects for notable clientele. This would lead me to my current position as a graphic designer for the tech company LockerDome located in downtown St. Louis. Apart from the professional design world I also freelance part-time where I specialize in a futuristic yet clean design aesthetic that highlights my love for spirituality + healing, plants, womanism, and black power.
In my downtime (designing aside) I enjoy being a mom to my 8-year-old son Tahj and 2-year-old dog Lucky.
I have one goal and one goal only: to put on my creative superhero cape and change the world through design and layout becoming one of the top female African American designers of all time. I have an obsession with visual communication, striving to create design experiences that allow viewers to take on new and invigorating perspectives that spark unexpected connections that bring people closer together. I’ve worked to perfect my craft through layout, typography, illustration, and color—with the sole purpose of designing for the common good.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing is ever easy. There are always bumps and obstacles to overcome (both personally and professionally) but that’s what it’s about right, the journey. I am a single black mom in America, raising a young black son in a world not meant to protect me or him. Let’s start there. That speaks for itself. Not to mention being a black female graphic designer in an industry that is predominately white and male. You have to fight for a spot in, fight for your voice to be heard, fight to be taken seriously.
For me, I like to let my art and my talent speak for itself. You can’t deny visual attraction; when I person hears you and feels you, they take notice. My art is a part of my legacy that I will leave behind, my art helps make me immortal. I’ve always said if I can just touch one person with my art then I’ve done my job. I don’t want a seat at the table, I come with my own table design based on the influences around me, worldly events surrounding people of color, releasing emotions/healing, around the empowerment of black women as queens and goddesses.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So I do a little bit of everything from vector illustrations, product design/labels, flyers, logos, book covers, book layouts, stickers, cards, menus, cover/album art, digital collage, and some motion design. I’m all over the place and I like that. Experimenting and playing around with different design styles is fun but it’s also an exercise that helps me to grow as a creative. Taking time to also work on projects for myself, I call them passion projects, also helps me strengthen my skills as a creative. I think my art has an energy about it that evokes emotions and sparks conversations, sometimes even making you think and look within. I also see a lot of hope and happiness and authenticity in my art which is really special to me.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Things that matter most to me are my son, my art, peace of mind/ease, love of self/self-care, genuine happiness, time, my plants. All of these things are my world. They are my gravity in this lifetime, my balance. The best things in life are priceless.
Contact Info:
- Website: jadethedesigner.com
- Instagram: @jadethedesigner_
