Studio tour: And Kathleen

Name: Kathleen Shannon
Location: Oklahoma City, home office
Company: And Kathleen

What do you do? I work as a graphic designer and art director. I specialize in small business branding and identity development (logo, business card, signage and blog design) as well as print goods such as custom wedding invitations and stationery.

What is your aesthetic? I think I’ve got this indie-modern meets vintage-apothecary kind of vibe going on. I love working in limited 2-color palettes and contrasting vintage woodcut art with clean and modern typography. I love bringing hand-drawn elements into my work as well. Everything is highly-customized to my client but each piece has a huge part of me in it too.

How does your studio style convey your professional aesthetic? I put my heart and personal style into every single project I work on – and the fact that my studio is in my home reflects that. My space is an eclectic mix of vintage mid-century modern furniture paired with a modern color palette and natural textiles such as a cowhide rug and wood floors. I’ve worked hard to create a beautiful environment that is full of character and conducive to creating beautiful work in.

Favorite part of your studio? I love my chalkboard wall. I was afraid it wouldn’t get much use but my friends are always goofing around on it and drawing silly pictures that keep me smiling daily.

Where do you go for inspiration? I find inspiration from interior and fashion design blogs. A few of my favorites are The Selby, UnoCosa’s Scrapbook, The Jealous Curator, and Desire to Inspire. I also get loads of inspiration from movies – anything Wes Anderson or Sofia Coppola makes my heart go pitter-patter. I also just took a huge trip to Nepal where I hiked up to Mt. Everest Base Camp – the whole trek was beyond inspiring and I came home ready to hit the ground running with my design work.

What tool do you use in your business that you can’t live without? My Pantone and paper swatch books. Oh and Sharpies.

Is there anything you’d upgrade to? I just purchased a Gocco press and would love to get into hand making more print goods for my clients. I would love to create a handmade stationery line.

Anything else we should know? My coworker is named Mister Scooty Boots. He mostly stares at birds out the window or hangs out in my lap but I keep him on the payroll anyways.

[images from And Kathleen]