Pins for pintrill.com – I’m currently the in-house artist so I help ideate and illustrate the pins they sell!
Currently the in-house artist for Pintrill, Naomi Otsu graduated from Parsons as a CD major in 2010. After finishing her studies, Naomi started working at Opening Ceremony, first as a Graphic Designer, then as Senior Graphic Designer from 2010 to 2013. Naomi also worked at Laird and Partners for a year before becoming a full-time designer in 2014. She now resides in Brooklyn, undertaking a range of projects, both personal and collaborative.
Illustrated infographic for Marley Natural’s Magazine
What were your favorite classes at Parsons?
Definitely my illustration classes. I really enjoyed the 6-hour painting classes as well. I miss having that time to sit down and paint like I did in school.
What did you wish you knew as a student that you know now?
There is so much I would’ve done if I had known all the Adobe shortcuts that I do now.
Identity and publication design for Top Rank Magazine (creative directed by Christelle de Castro) - Top Rank magazine is a Brooklyn-based publication that profiles women of diverse backgrounds who are driving, shaping, and challenging the world around them. Top Rank women are leaders in the arts, academia, social justice, technology, and fashion worlds. Available at Opening Ceremony and other retailers!
Who do you look up to in the design community?
My peers and old classmates! It’s amazing to see where we’ve come from and where we are now. I had a teacher once tell our class that the people we were sitting next to would be the ones we would be working with, even after school. It’s so so true! Support your colleagues, help one another, and keep in touch! After all, you can’t make it anywhere all by yourself.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
There have been so many wonderful experiences that I’ve had in my career, between designing the Opening Ceremony Annual book, to working with Donna Karan herself, while I was at Laird and Partners. The most recent highlight for me has been the amazing response to my side project, a blog that I work on with my sister called we8that. Between clients and projects, it has been so refreshing to have a creative outlet that is completely my own.
