Design x Bonnie Kate Wolf
Icon Designer
Illustration by Bonnie Kate Wolf
Interview conducted by Michelle Berois on October 30, 2020
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am an illustrator and a brand designer. I run a freelance business, so I’ve worked with companies like Lyft, Airbnb, Caviar, Square, and Oura. I just started working for Netflix as a product designer on their design systems team.
Do you remember any of the first drawings you made as a kid?
Oh yes! We still have some of them in my parent’s garage. When I was six, I was drawing lots of fairy princesses with rainbows. By the time I was eight, the fairy princesses had become more punk rock. And around the age of 10, maybe even a little bit younger, I started doing pixel art. I would make these little characters and draw pixel clothes on them. I didn’t have Photoshop yet, so my dad taught me how to use Jasc PaintShop Pro.
I would make all sorts of drawings of dogs or these little mops and sell them on an online forum called Eden Enchanted. People would then “adopt” these little mops I’d draw. I spent many hours drawing pixel art on the internet.
Do you remember there being a specific moment you knew you wanted to be an illustrator/designer?
There was a very specific moment. I had just graduated middle school and was given a new computer because I got all A’s. I was drawing these pixel creations on this computer that had a tablet built into the screen. This must have been around 2006, so it was pretty exciting at the time.
I’d created this masterpiece in my mind, which was a pixel character version of Rita Skeeter from Harry Potter. I remember that moment very vividly, and I could tell it would only get better from there. I was so excited about my masterpiece and this amazing computer I was using. That was a defining moment for me.
By the time I got to high school, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do fashion, illustration, or graphic design. I took some summer classes at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. As I was sitting over the sewing machine, I thought to myself, “Oh no, this hurts my back too much.”
I liked all the textiles, colors, patterns, and drawing people, but not so much the actual sewing. Ironically, now I do a lot of sewing and knitting, but I remember that moment of realizing I didn’t want to be sitting in front of my sewing machine, for 14 hours a day, to become a fashion designer. I just want to draw things. And so that led me more towards doing graphic design and illustration instead of fashion design.
How did you get into iconography and building illustration systems?
I feel like my childhood love for pixel art helped a lot with the iconography. But very specifically, when I was at Square, I was a production designer on the creative marketing team. And my boss asked me if I’d be interested in filling out the rest of the Square icon system. Our creative director, my boss’s boss, had made about 200-300 icons, but they wanted to build all of them at a new size and add them to the library.
I started building these icons and working with a creative director who would talk me through every single line and icon I drew. We ended up creating about 700 new icons for that system. It was a massive undertaking. That was when I really got into it. It took me about 3-4 months to finish that project.
My colleague, Claudia, told me it’s a particular kind of person who wants to do this kind of work. There are not that many people who want to draw 500 icons. There’s something unique about me that draws me to this specific kind of work and that that’s what I should be chasing, is the thing that I can provide that no one else can. And so those icons turned into me doing illustration work for Square.
Going back to my love for pixel art, I would draw these little paper dolls where you could swap their clothes out. I decided to build them in Illustrator, and that was how I developed my first illustration system. All my systems are now built in Figma.
I had so much fun building these little people that I added the system to my Figma community profile so people can download and play with them. That’s when I realized, “this is what I should be doing, the icons and illustration. This is what I’m strongest at and what I enjoy the most.” So that was my very first foray into illustration systems, and that is now my livelihood.
What inspired you to get into knitting and crocheting?
When I was in high school, my friend Evelyn’s mom decided she was going to teach me how to knit. So I picked up a bunch of yarn, and she gave me some needles. I haven’t stopped knitting since then. My favorite things to make are sweaters. I love all of my sweaters.
The most impressive thing that I’ve ever knit was for a college project. I knit a cylinder of the world. It was eight feet long and maybe three or four feet tall. I built a cage to wrap it around. Then I created this system to determine where art was most prevalent based on internet searches. I coded the entire map with that information.
I funded it through Kickstarter. This is back when Kickstarter was brand new and very exciting, and people were mostly using it to fund creative projects. I raised almost $2,000 to fund it. There was a certain level in Kickstarter where if you spent $25, I would put a marker on the map wherever you wanted it. Most people wanted it where they were located, but some wanted to put it in other places. So it gave you this Internet-Universe that showed the individual people who contributed toward this art on a micro-scale versus a macro scale. I mounted it hanging from the ceiling, and that was my final year project.
I feel I must have committed to being a person who knits at that point because it took me 300 hours to complete. I researched map design and then designed the map, pixel by pixel, in Photoshop. I would count the pixels because that would tell me how many stitches to knit. This goes back to what Claudia said to me about there being a very specific kind of person who does these things. I’m the kind of person who does these seemingly insane things.
What are some of the favorite projects you’ve worked on?
One recent project that I’m incredibly proud of, and that will be launching soon, is for the California State Government. I built an illustration and icon library for their new website. It was a three-month project where I freelanced and worked with Cyd Harrell, who was overseeing the project. She’s the queen of civic tech and absolutely amazing.
When you’re a tech company, part of your job is to figure out who the audience is that uses your product. For this job, I had to figure out how to appeal to their audience, which happens to be the entire state of California.
It’s a self-representing litigant portal. Basically, this is where you’ll go if you need to represent yourself in court. For example, suppose you’re dealing with something unpleasant like a divorce, child custody, or Small Claims Court. In that case, you’ll go to this website to get more information about how to deal with that.
I was worried it was going to be really hard, but working with them was so pleasant. In my mind, I thought, “This is the government. They’re going to be so regulated.” They were great. I loved working with Cyd. Her whole team of folks was really lovely. Even though the site hasn’t launched yet, I know it will significantly impact every person in the state. It’s not self-serving; it’s selfless. Designing it was quite tricky. It has to be authoritative because it’s the government, but it also needs to feel friendly and accessible. We came up with something that I think is great, and I’m super proud of the project.
Another recent favorite was working with Lyft. Meg Robichaud, at the time, was heading up their product design team. They hired me to build an icon system that helps drivers navigate the difficulties of being a driver for Lyft.
It was for their education platform. For instance, what happens if a minor gets into the car by themselves (when they’re not supposed to). How do you deal with that? They asked me to build an icon system. I saw the brief, and then I said, “Actually, I want to build you an icon system and an illustration system. Here are all the reasons why. Are we cool? Can I do that?” They said, “Sure.” And so we did it. It also got animated, and it was cool getting to work with animators and see my illustrations come to life.
We built something that is super cool and feels impactful. Lyft has the highest standards I have ever worked with. Meg is relentless in her quest for things to be amazing. It was so hard, and there were points where I didn’t know if I would be able to make her happy. But she was terrific, and her whole team’s great too.
It was like hitting a new bar for myself, which was exciting. I’d never experienced someone trying to get me to a level of excellence that I couldn’t even see myself. I thought everything I made was great, and then when she pointed out all the flaws, which blew my mind. It was like getting to unlock a new level in a video game. It knew I was good, but it made me realize how much better I could be.
What do you think are some of the challenges that illustrators are facing today?
I think the biggest one is getting our work appreciated and valued the way that it should be. Most companies don’t hire illustrators full-time. They’ll contract with us, which sometimes is cool because a lot of illustrators like to freelance. But it makes it so that you are reliant on that freelancing, which means you’re reliant on your ability to network. You’re reliant on managing your money because it’s not coming in at an even cadence. Because our work tends to be undervalued, it can get very tricky trying to make the money you need to survive, so that that’s a big one.
The other part, I think, is trends. It’s hard when you see people getting praised for a thing that’s very, very trendy. Even though illustration will evolve, it’s important to not just hop on the bandwagon of the coolest thing that someone is making. Try to stay true to the things that you want to do and that you’re interested in.
“Try to stay true to the things that you want to do and that you’re interested in.”
Knowing how to work with an illustrator is super important and something most people don’t know. Sometimes they don’t even know how to brief you to get what they want, or they may not even know what they want. They just know that they’ve been given this amount of money to give to you to make something for them.
How did you help develop your personal style when it came to illustrating and drawing?
Developing my style is something that is still very new for me. One of the things that makes me good at my job is I’m able to create new brand styles for the brand that I’m creating them for, like the project I did for Lyft. Using Lyft’s patterns and brand language, but then creating something totally new.
Same situation with the government job. It’s not my style, but it’s a style I’m creating for them. I do a lot of that. But now I’m starting to realize that I want to have a personal style, so the way that I have been moving closer to developing my own unique style is through a workshop I did with Meg Lewis.
Meg talks about how to go about finding your own personal style. She talks about these lifelong points of inspiration, which are the things that you’ve always been inspired by that are unique to you. After doing this 90-minute workshop with her, I ended up with this big list of inspiration points and the things that make me me.
You then start to pull inspiration from those things rather than from trends. It was literally like a light went on, and I went from making stuff that I liked but didn’t really feel like it was genuinely me to finding the thing that I love, which, as it turns out, is rainbows.
I realized that it’s not so much about what I think is cool. A lot of what other people are making is really cool, but it doesn’t come out of me and my brain. It doesn’t feel authentic, and the things that might look effortless made by others look heavy-handed when you try to make them yourself, so it doesn’t read. So now I’ve been following inspiration points from my life, things that I love like rainbows, Taylor Swift, and Wes Anderson. The best things in the world to me. Then I translate that into a visual language. That is the work I’m producing.
I’ve made five or six pieces now in this new “BK style,” and it’s been some of the most fun work I’ve made. I’m excited about it because it’s just me, rather than doing it to make money.
You talked about this spectrum within art, from developing your own personal style to creating a style designed for products or brands. Can you talk a little bit more about that duality within art and design?
There are very few illustrators that want to do both. Typically you’re either editorial—where people hire you for your work and your style—or you’re more flexible and therefore, more of a problem solver. This is a spectrum that Meg Lewis uses. On one end is the problem solver. This means that you’re designing a unique style for a brand and solving their problem for them. On the other end is my artsy self, creating straight from my heart. I do both, which I think is pretty unusual. Some problem solvers also have a personal style, but most people like to do one or the other, I think.
Your talents and creativity tap into so many mediums. Where do you source your inspiration from? Does it come from a specific place or a combination of things?
Here is the BK top 10 list:
Musicals
Clothes and crazy patterns
Western Europe
Knitting and sewing
Taylor Swift
Rainbows
Wes Anderson
Board games
Pixel art
Fairies/people with magical powers
Those are my lifelong inspiration points, the things I love, and I’ve realized that the work becomes better if I tap into any of those things. They make for some good, fun BK work.
Are there any people in your life who influenced you into the artist you are today?
It’s very hard not to think of Meg Lewis immediately. I know I mentioned her before. Some people say, “Everyone is a special snowflake. Everyone is one of a kind”. I don’t feel that way. I think many people are kind of cookie-cutter versions of a thing they’ve seen that they think they should be. Meg is just her own thing, and I love that about her. She’s weird and so fun. She doesn’t take herself seriously and believes in herself 100%, which is a wonderful combination.
She’s been mentoring me in an unofficial capacity for the past couple of months. She always seems to have some piece of advice that is helpful to me and gives me an “aha” moment. I had asked her if I should be an illustrator or a designer because I wasn’t sure how to market myself online. She said, “You know, you can just try one of them for a month and see what you think. If you don’t like it, you can always revert or try a different thing. It doesn’t have to be permanent.”
That blew my mind! It’s so easy to think if you make a decision, you have to stick with that decision. And so, I decided, “I’m an illustrator now.” Boom! I’m just going to promote myself that way. I’m not going to worry about the brand stuff. It is so freeing to not have to worry about permanence. She’ll often say stuff like that. She’s a little genius, I love her.
Another person is Adam Ho. Adam is a brand designer extraordinaire who is a freelancer as well. We met through Twitter because I’d seen his portfolio, and it’s just dynamite. He makes the most beautiful websites and brands. So one day, I reached out to him on Twitter and we just started chatting. He started passing work on to me that he couldn’t take on, which was super nice. He’s always willing to talk and answer any questions I have.
There are a few other people, like Pablo Stanley. Pablo always has my back. If I’m upset, he’s always willing to hop on a video to chat. “Just hop on a video, tell me what’s up,” he’ll say. Pablo is just a big hug of a person. He’s so great.
There’s also David Hoang, who is the design director for Webflow. He’s another person who is also there for me if I need to talk. He’s so helpful and has so much experience. He’s super kind and just the loveliest person.
And the last person is Rogie King. Rogie is a design advocate for Figma. I’m sure he’ll be embarrassed if I say this, but I’m gonna say it anyway. I needed a mic because I was thinking about talking about my design work on Twitch. I asked him about what type of mic I should get. He then asked me if I prefer the color white or black. I had no idea what he was referring to. So I told him I liked white and then a microphone shows up at my house.
He just did that with no ulterior motive. Expecting nothing in return. I tried to knit him a hat for one of his children, and he refused to give me his address. He just did it because he wanted me to have a nice thing. He’s just a marvelous human. Whenever I need him, he is always there.
What would be your advice to aspiring illustrators looking to get into the craft?
The best advice I can give is the advice I wish I had gotten ten years ago. My advice is this: Whatever you’re interested in, go do that thing. It is not too boring, or simple, or specialized. It’s not too general. It is perfect. You should go follow it and do.
“My advice is this: Whatever you’re interested in, go do that thing.”
Back when I was in high school and doing fashion classes, I loved drawing little fashion people. My art teacher told me that I shouldn’t make art like that because it wasn’t that interesting. In college, I had professors tell me that my work wasn’t meaningful enough. And so I would try to be very deep, and that’s not who I am. I’m all about rainbows and aesthetics.
So, I wish that someone had told me, “What you’re making is going to be great, and someone somewhere needs it, and you should just do that.” I’m only now getting back into making the rainbow drawings of Taylor Swift that I wanted to be making for the past 10 years. I would occasionally do them but never show off because I was ashamed that that’s what I wanted to draw. Following that thing that you’re interested in is what’s important because that’s how you’re going to develop something unique.
It’s the same with design and illustration. Being a good or even amazing designer doesn’t matter because that’s not what will make you stand out. What makes you stand out is being interesting, being unique, being you. Having a very specific voice and interest. More so than just being another good designer because there are tons of really good designers, and there’s almost always somebody better than you.
If you hinge your entire career on just being really good, you’re never going to be truly satisfied. There’s always going to be someone else doing something slightly better than you right now, so double down on what you find interesting and what you like. Be the person you are and do the thing that only you would do. That’s where you’re going to get the work.
Rapid Fire Questions:
What was your favorite toy when you were growing up?
A stuffed animal named “Little Big Bird” and a bunch of plastic dinosaurs, all of which I named individually.
What are you currently listening to?
Let me open up Pandora to see. Of course, it’s Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore.
What are 3 qualities that make you, YOU?
The first is I’m obsessed with tiny details. The second is that I’m crafty, and the third is I’m competitive. And when I think about that, I think to myself, not just competitive, the most competitive because that’s apparently how competitive I am.
What question haven’t I asked you that I should have?
The most common question I get asked is how do I build relationships or how did I become good at networking. Especially with COVID, it’s even more important now. My entire career, since I started at Square, has been built through relationships with people.
Especially now, in the past 6-8 months, freelancing through Twitter and building this online presence has been more important than ever. I find the nice people who are relevant to what I’m doing and working at companies I’m interested in, and I connect to them. For example, I reached out to Meg Lewis to tell her I thought she was amazing and asked her if she would chat with me.
The most important thing is finding connections you have to the people you want to talk to and then building that community online. That is how I get most of my work now. Somebody knows me, and they will refer their friend to work with me. Everything happens through relationships. I’ve gotten almost no work through just a random person who has no connection to me.
“Everything happens through relationships. I’ve gotten almost no work through just a random person who has no connection to me.”
People like to work with people who are good at their jobs, but people love to work with nice people. I’m way more interested in working with someone nice than someone extremely talented. I want to spend my time with nice people. And that’s really what matters when it comes to actually hiring someone or working with them.
