This September, Make it in Design launched it’s 9th ever round of our most advanced course, The Ultimate Portfolio Builder. UPB is a seven week course complete with individual portfolio reviews, an in-depth look at subject matter within your portfolio, such as typography, characters, geometrics, design briefs from REAL companies, plus much more. We have been honoured to welcome thousands of students onto our course, many of which have gone on to become successful designers with magazine features, launch their own studios, attend trade shows, license and sell their designs, and get their patterns in front of their dream clients.

Today we’re bringing you an interview with UPB graduate Mandy Porta, who’s work (completed in response to a UPB brief) has now been featured in Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine!

About Mandy

Mandy Porta is an illustrator and surface pattern designer based in Louisiana, United States. She has a passion for designing bright and cheery art for children’s products, especially those that inspire imaginations and foster creativity.

Before launching a business in surface pattern design, Mandy spent over a decade as a freelance graphic designer working directly with small businesses to design various marketing materials from logos and branding materials to brochures and websites.

After taking some time off to care for her two little girls (who are now 5 and 7), she realized her true passion for making joyful art. As a child of a talented and crafty stay-at-home mom, she grew up drawing and making things, but she had settled for a more reliable career in corporate graphic design. Her kids reignited her creative spirit, and she now spends her days drawing, painting and illustrating. Her girls and seven nieces continue to be a source of inspiration, and sometimes she even incorporates their art into her designs to make them extra special.

When did your interest in design first start and how did that come about?

Being raised by a creative stay-at-home-mom, I had the opportunity to try a lot of different things including drawing, painting, stitching plastic canvas, baking sweets, scrapbooking and other various crafts. There’s not an aisle in Hobby Lobby that my mom hasn’t visited. Art was always my favorite subject in school. My dad was a computer engineer, so I also had early access to design software and the Internet. By high school I was playing with clipart and formatting text to design cards.

What steps did you take to get to where you are now as a designer?

When it came to picking a college major, I was told that majoring in art was a poor choice unless I wanted to be an art teacher. So I chose Information Systems and Decision Sciences, but after a year of boredom, I switched to Mass Communications with a concentration in Advertising and a minor in business. Through lots of Internet searches, I taught myself how to use Adobe’s design software and html.

I setup my first LLC right after I graduated in 2005 to design websites, but I also worked full time as a graphic designer for a couple of software companies. I was a hard worker, but company morale was low and I was miserable. I called it quits in 2008 and decided to set out on my own working directly with small businesses to design marketing materials.

Once my girls were born, I stopped taking on new clients and became a full time stay-at-home mom. My new creative outlet became planning birthday parties, and I even set up an Etsy shop selling the digital invitations and party printables I created for their parties.

I knew that when both my kids began school, I would get back to work, but I didn’t want to return to corporate graphic design. I began researching other options and stumbled upon the world of art licensing and surface pattern design. Last year was a huge year of learning – I read books and blogs, listened to podcasts, took several courses, joined communities for creative entrepreneurs and began building my portfolio. The Make it in Design courses were so valuable and a huge confidence boost. And now the time has come! My youngest started Kindergarten this fall, and I am busy making art and setting myself up to begin pitching to clients.

What was the most important lesson you took away from the Make it in Design online courses?

The Make it in Design courses were jam packed with the information I was craving. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned was to be your own unique self and to keep moving forward one small step at a time. I have learned so much about my own style.

What difference did it make to have a supportive community of fellow students and how important do you think that will be going forward?

Having a supportive and trustworthy community was so vital and gave me a boost of confidence. Seldom are artists surrounded by people who truly understand you and what you do, so having a group of people in the same boat is wonderful.

How would you describe your style?

I would describe my style as bright, joyful, sweet and feminine.

What kind of designer do you want to be known as?

My aim is to become a designer known for bringing people joy and encouraging young artists.

What are you working on currently? Can you share on any recent achievements?

I’m currently working on a mermaid collection that I plan to use in my girls’ new bedroom. We are finishing the upstairs section of our home that will include their bedroom and a studio space for me! I am also putting the finishing touches on my new website so that I can begin pitching my art.

My patterns for the Ultimate Portfolio Builder course were featured in the June 2018 issue of Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine as bonus papers. I was thrilled, and my mom was so excited that she got her hands on a copy before I did!

What advice would you give emerging designers wanting to build their portfolios?

The Make it in Design courses are the kick in the pants you need to build your portfolio and discover your style. You can’t beat the motivation of a real deadline.

What would be your dream design gig?

I dream of designing art for products that support and encourage little artists, such as doodle books, craft kits, or playroom art. I have my eyes on companies like Mudpuppy and Oopsy Daisy. I’d also love to see my art on girls apparel!

Looking ahead what are your major goals for the next couple of years?

In the next couple of years, I hope to gain a few licensing deals and see my art in stores! I plan to hone in on my style, make a lot of art, get on top of my marketing and get visible.

If you were a pattern what kind of a pattern would you be and why?

I would be a bright and sweet pattern of butterflies and flowers. Butterflies are a symbol of transformation and new beginnings and they have been special to me for a long time. I just love them—my home has butterflies, my logo has a butterfly, and even my wedding theme was butterflies!