Sewell Killingstad on How Personal Animation Projects Led to Olivia Rodrigo and Vanilla Mace Commissions
Sewell Killingstad, a designer and illustrator from Baltimore, has forged a successful career through personal projects, which have led to notable commissions such as creating animated floral typography for Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields festival and designing merchandise for Vanilla Mace. The inspiration for the Daisy Chain Fields project arose after Killingstad completed an animation course, where they animated buttercups observed during walks. In June, Jean Pierre Consuegra approached Killingstad for a secret project, later unveiled at the festival featuring an all-female lineup. Their collaboration with Vanilla Mace began with designing fake Coachella merchandise for Clairo, which resulted in further design requests. They credit their achievements to a mix of luck, timing, connections, and a commitment to their independent artistic vision. This article was penned by Ellis Tree, a junior writer at It's Nice That.
Key facts
- Sewell Killingstad is a Baltimore-based multidisciplinary designer and illustrator
- Killingstad created animated floral typography for Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields festival posters and stages
- The buttercup animation began after one college animation class and was made in Photoshop using scanned flowers and old photography
- Jean Pierre Consuegra contacted Killingstad via DM in June about the project, which was initially under wraps
- Killingstad designed fake Coachella merchandise for Clairo, which led Vanilla Mace's manager to request merchandise designs
- Killingstad thought the Vanilla Mace opportunity was a scam email for about a month before a video call
- Killingstad has designed Vanilla Mace merchandise for various events and drops over the past year
- Killingstad advises that attracting cool clients involves luck, timing, connections, persistent DMs, and an independent voice
- The article was written by Ellis Tree, a staff writer at It's Nice That since April 2024 and a Kingston School of Art graduate
Entities
Artists
- Sewell Killingstad
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Jean Pierre Consuegra
- Vanilla Mace
- Clairo
- Ellis Tree
Institutions
- Daisy Chain Fields
- Coachella
- It's Nice That
- Kingston School of Art
Locations
- Baltimore
- United States