Interview with Heather Rousse [vivalaviolette] on Whohub

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What is your specialty?

Viva la Violette specializes in creating personal stationery and invitations for all of life's great events.

Where can we view your portfolio online?

My portfolio is available at

http://www.vivalaviolette.etsy.com

What made you interested in design?

I have always loved creating things my whole life. My love for computers also made me want to learn how to design things in a digital space.

What has been your professional career path?

I received my BFA in Visual Arts/ Computer Animation. After college I designed video games for three years. I recently decided to take a jump and start my own business, and I absolutely love it.

What is your motivation? What makes you get up in the mornings?

My motivation is my 6 month old son Dax, and my business. Creating new designs and making my clients happy are other things I enjoy doing.

How would you define your design style?

I would define my design style as modern and chic with a bit of whimsy.

How do you promote and move your work?

I promote my items through Etsy and blogs. I try to take time each week to interact with new artists and etsians.

In which new areas would you like to experiment?

I'd love to do letterpress one day! I think it is beautiful and I know that it would be a great asset to my current portfolio.

Shapes, color, concept: where do you usually begin when conceiving a design?

I usually find inspiration from things seen in my daily life. Organic shapes, color schemes, interior design, and photography all inspire me and give me new ideas. I also love to check out other artists and sometimes I get inspired by other designs.

What is your favourite type of customer?

My favorite type of customer is someone who inspires me to create a new custom design for them. Collaborating with others to design something new and unique is so much fun!

To a certain point, is copying justifiable?

When I worked in the game industry, every top selling game was a copy of a copy of a copy. It was pretty much impossible to create an entirely new gameplay concept. With most design, you can find references to other art or designs. Copying to a certain point is fine, but when it starts to be identical to something else, is it really even yours at that point?

How do you calculate budgets for a design project?

I typically begin calculating the cost of the materials that will be used. If I am creating a custom design for a customer, I then add the design hours too. Finally, I add in my overall labor involved.

Which software applications do you most utilize in your work?

I use Illustrator & Photoshop daily. It is such a change to get used to only being able to work in 2D after working in a 3D space (Maya) for so long. It's a nice change though =)

If you weren't a designer, what would you be doing?

That's a tough question. I would also love to be an architect, photographer, interior designer, or animator- which could all be considered designers on some level. If I were to choose something completely unrelated to being creative, I think I would be completely bored with what I'd be doing.

Can you see yourself in this field twenty years from now?

Definitely! I love what I'm doing, and I am finally at a place in my life where I don't know if things could get any better for me.

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