Phillustrate Your Day

Neighbor, Illustrator, Business Owner Phil Scroggs talks branding and public art.

Phil Scroggs, Illustrator

Phil Scroggs: Graphic Designer, illustrator, and the brains behind Crown Hill Village Instagram.

Solopreneur: at Phillustrations since 2002.

Worked From Home before it was cool: Telecommuting made it possible to relocate to Seattle while still working full-time for an Atlanta web design team. Then, the 2001 tech crash was a sign to do my own thing.

Simply hustling: Cold calling, e-mailing, asking people for referrals – it worked. I found new clients. I have to keep at it though, you gotta keep going.

Thoughts on graphic design: There is subconscious value in good design. It has a high impact but most businesses make it a low priority. It is understandable that a small business wants to save money. But most people don’t realize what a tremendous role design plays in everything.

Your branding is the front door of your business: It is your company’s curb appeal – how your business makes a first impression. Branding needs to be a line item in the budget.

Best free design tips: Less is More and white space is your friend. You don’t need to use more than two fonts.

If your business doesn’t have a brand guide, make yourself a one-page cheat sheet: One to two fonts, one to two colors. This will get everybody on the same page and help you create a cohesive look.

Audit everything you produce: double-check phone numbers, links, and spelling. You would be shocked by how much outdated information is out there.

illustrated map of Crown Hill

I’ve done a little of everything: linocut prints, acrylic paintings, vector art. And now I do a lot of animation. I also love illustrated maps and have made some from our own neck of the woods: the Ballard Brew Map, and the Crown Hill Village Map.

Local artists I’m a big fan of: Jen Vickers, Sarah Robbins, Stevie Shao, Sasha Barr.

I love public art that is large-scale: Traffic signal box wraps, street murals, sculpture installations. I’d love to see more art around Crown Hill. Tweedy and Popp did a great job of adding creativity to their storefront with their giant red and white paint can illustrations. It brings a bright, exciting burst of art to what might have otherwise been just a dull window full of hardware.

Phil Scroggs at the Holiday Market

Instagram: keeps me interested in making stuff. I like that it allows you to share behind-the-scenes, process photos, and videos. Content I wouldn’t put as a showcase on my website but an excellent way to show what I’m experimenting with. All the fun stuff.

I started with traditional drawing: I would doodle on everything and draw as a way to escape. Then I was a photography major in college and I studied photographic design, a merger between photography and design.

I was an early adopter of digital art: I’ve been using and teaching Adobe tools since they were in their earliest versions.

Now I do a lot of animation: motion graphics, animating, illustrations.

You can find Phil:

Do YOU want some help with your social media and marketing? Give Phil a buzz!