Art + Design // An Interview with Michelle Petrie

I would like to introduce you all to Michelle Petrie, Creative Director of Petrie Creative, and overall just a fascinating, fun person to hang out with. I interviewed/made a sales call/ drooled over her studio (however you want to describe it) last week and loved it.

Her studio is within walking distance of Café Helios in downtown Raleigh so I met her at her studio and we took a walk to get coffee to start our time.

For a little background, Michelle worked at T3 Advertising in Austin, TX as their Interactive Art Director before moving to Raleigh in 2004. At T3, she worked on brands such as Dell and JCPenney, so she definitely has some big brand experience. Moving to Raleigh was a pivotal change. She worked remote for a little while, until T3 found another Interactive Art Director. She then decided she didn’t want to work on big brands or for an agency, so she started Petrie Creative.

And then we started the interview officially…

What led her to being a designer? She has always loved art, but it really started in high school when she was in charge of the layout for the school paper. Doing layout helped her realize that she enjoyed it and could pursue it as a career. That launched the design dream. She went from falling in love with type in high school to graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in Fine Art. One of her younger siblings passed away while she was in high school. This taught her that life is short and decided to chase her passion for design instead of worrying about making money.

What is her main goal when approaching her projects? She likes to take the little guys and make them look like the big guys. Not necessarily selling out to a corporate look but making it look like they invested in an expensive design that will gain the public’s respect. With the flexibility to charge less than agencies, since she doesn’t have the massive overhead associated with them, Michelle provides the best of both worlds: agency design experience without the cost.

What are her challenges working in the design world currently? Client compliance and education, she said. Her most challenging task is educating clients on the value of good design. ROI is not easily measured on good logo design or the cost of designing a marketing piece. She has had to develop an ability to sell good design, as well as provide it.

What are the main trends she is noticing in graphic design, particularly in Raleigh? Since 2004 in Raleigh, she has noticed the level of interactive design going up. People are also more willing to experiment and Raleigh has really embraced an innovative culture to encourage this. Raleigh designers are tiring of the corporate look and are running towards a handmade/handdrawn look in their art. One of the negative trends she has noticed includes the tendency to always go with digital printing, instead of offset or one of the other more elite forms of printing. Design schools are not educating their students on how to spec for offset printing or even how to find good stocks for printing their projects. The creative options offered in the art of printing are being ignored. Another negative trend is the increase of stock photography being used in design. Instead of finding an interesting door on the street and taking their own picture, designers will spend hours online looking for the perfect picture of a door. This produces predictable, boring design that looks like everyone else’s work.

What advice would she give aspiring artists? Experiment. Don’t be satisfied doing what everyone else is doing. Try out hand drawing your own font. Take your own photos to include in your work. Take apart objects and photograph them. Always be drawing/sketching/doodling. Don’t go straight to the computer when beginning a project—draw something first.

What are her other hobbies? She has quite a list of interests:

·      Teaches a strengthening and conditioning class at a boxing gym.

·      Restoring a sailboat, loves to sail.

·      Belay-Certified rock climber.

·      Kiteboarding

·      Will participate in her 5^th Tough Mudder this year.

·      Mambo Saki: her personal art venture. She is designing a coloring book with her illustrations currently.

Some Mambo Saki, produced on her letterpress with neon ink

A Mambo Saki Bookmark: My souvenir from the visit

 She graciously let me take pictures of her creative space. I even got an invitation to do some of my art there. I’m looking forward to taking her up on this soon!

She is such an inspiration to me: her work ethic, passion for what she does and the guts to pursue it regardless of the ‘risk’. Thank you Michelle for giving me a window into your lovely world!

Thanks for reading, please comment below!