My Favorite Design Styles (and the Moment Everything Changed)

When I first started out in graphic design, I played it safe.

Like most beginners, I followed the rulebook. My first real design style was corporate - because I worked in a design agency, and that’s just what we did.

Simple layouts, Corporate colors, Corporate fonts. Design that sits neatly inside strict brand guidelines. Those were my training wheels.

The Moment Everything Shifted

And then one day, everything changed.

We had a client, Summerfield Winery, and the owner, Mark, came in with a brief.

He looked at me and said:

“You’ve got free reign.”

I remember blinking at him and asking, “Free reign? You mean… I can do whatever I want?” He nodded.

So I threw myself into it. I worked on it at the office, at home - honestly, I was obsessed. That wine label became the first design I ever created that truly felt like me. It had watercolor textures, florals, and a more artistic, decorative style. Looking back, it was the first glimpse of the designer I’d eventually become.

Design Doesn’t Have to Fit Inside a Corporate Box

That moment opened my eyes.

Design can be expansive. It can be expressive. It can be built around what you love to create. There’s a niche and a market for every style.

And as I designed more and more, I discovered the styles that felt like home.

🌿 Botanical

Hands down my favorite. I love working with florals and drawing color inspiration straight from nature - soft petals, bold leaves, earthy tones.

✨ Luxury Mood

Moody, emotional, and elevated. Rich, deep colors paired with metallics that feel like luxury in the quiet night.

📜 Vintage

Nostalgic, textured, and timeless. For me, 1990s-inspired design brings me right back to childhood - paper textures, warm tones, and the charm of simpler days.

Those are the styles that light me up now, but every designer has their own spark.

👉 What about you? What’s your favorite design style to work in?

Talk soon & big love,

Jessa

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