Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill.
Hi Jill, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started Jill McDonald Design in 2004. I had five years under my feet working for large corporations. (Gap Inc. in NYC & Hallmark Cards in K.C.) I saw my art being selected at both companies & selling well this gave me confidence to try it on my own. I spent six months making around 100 different prints from florals to kids, & seasonal art & took it all to my first surface design trade show, Surtex in NYC. My boyfriend at the time Antonio, (now my husband) came with me to help. The show was a great success, selling a lot of what I brought & making contacts for new projects that moved me forward in my art career the next couple years.
At the start of my business, I primarily worked on surface design. Decorative art that goes on a products. Anything from a comforter to a tissue box. My art style is fun, playful & very colorful so I had clients from the baby & kids design market take notice & reach out to work together. This market is my wheelhouse & where my business has fit best the last 22 years.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve had lots of ups & downs having a small niche design business. I worked with Target for years designing their Circo crib bedding line on a freelance basis. This led to an opportunity to design my own line of bedding under my name for Babies-r-Us.
Two or so years later Babies-r-Us went out of business. I don’t do much crib bedding anymore. I had an extensive wall art collection that was very successful for years then the owner sold the company due to retirement & the new owner didn’t have the same success.
The market is constantly shifting & the demands for art shift with these changes. I’ll be making art for scrapbooking, then quilting, then wall art, then crib bedding. Thinking my art only lives on one kind of product never served me so I must keep an open mind & find my art homes on whatever is needed. Ups & downs are part of being a small business owner.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
To make my art I paint in gouache or watercolor & I often use cut paper to make my shapes. I scan my art & create layers in Photoshop so elements can be moved & color changes made if needed. I sometimes start art digitally & do the entire project that way but find there’s a charm & more often successful response I get when the piece starts by hand. Often a project helps decide the best approach. An area I’m particularly happy to see my art branch into is board books for young kids. Around ten years ago I was approached by Random House Kids to work on a small series, called Hello, World! These non -fiction board books would explain simply concepts about science & nature to toddlers. I started by writing & illustrating the first four books, Solar System, Birds, Backyard Bugs, & Weather. The books took off & there is now thirty-one books, & over three million books sold! The Hello, World! series continues to grow which still surprises & thrills me. The surprise factor for me here is that I’m dyslexic & adding writer to my list of tricks was something I never had in mind! Helped me realize, I won’t limit myself we’re all really capable of more than we may think.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I grew up in Kansas City & my favorite childhood decision was to bet on myself & not be afraid to leave. Two weeks after my 18th birthday I left to go to Parson’s School of Design in NYC. I love that I was brave enough to do that! Desperately missing nature & realizing I like personal space I transferred to Rhode Island School of Design the next year. But all these big shifts, far away from home, is something I look back on & feel good about navigating at a young age with clarity & purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jillmcdonalddesign.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjillmcdonald/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-mcdonald-383a5b6/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/missjillmcdonald?dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
