Robin Hilkey
Robin Hilkey is a designer, illustrator, and letterer based in New York who loves making work that tells a story or makes a positive impact on the world. Focusing on social justice and humanitarian causes, her work helps give a voice to the voiceless. We caught up with Robin to learn more about her career path, the themes she explores through her work, and her creative process.
Hi Robin! Tell us about yourself—how did you get to where you are today? When did you first become interested in design?
I’ve always drawn—as the story goes, when I was around 18 months old my mom offered me a set of crayons to play with. She thought I would eat them, but instead I started doodling. My interest and passion for art continued to grow from there and I attended a middle school where you had to pick a talent area to focus on—I chose visual arts. I then went on to go to an arts high school, LaGuardia Arts and between my junior and senior year, I went to the Pre-College program at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and that’s when I got introduced to Graphic Design.
I went to RISD and graduated in 2015 with a BFA in Graphic Design and concentration in History, Philosophy and Social Science. Throughout my college experience, I was nervous I would have to give up my passion for volunteering and humanitarian efforts in order to make a living. I was fortunate enough to find a design internship at (RED), a non-profit and AIDS organization based in New York, between my junior and senior years of college. I learned so much during my time at (RED). I was hired full-time from that internship—and actually stayed there for my fall semester of my senior year and took night classes at a university in New York in order to graduate on time. I stayed at (RED) working on their small but mighty marketing team until April 2017.
I was looking for a change and wanted to see what working at an agency was like which is what brought me to Purpose, an agency whose focus is on social impact. I was at Purpose for two years and had the incredible opportunity to work with clients like UNICEF, the WHO and The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. After my time at Purpose, I was missing being in-house at an organization, so I joined the team at Color of Change. After a year at COC, I moved on to help lead design at at an organization focused on police reform and helping the families of victims of police violence.
After some time there, I took an opportunity to do some to travel around Panama and Costa Rica and work remote, freelancing here and there. While I was traveling, I got a LinkedIn message from Musa Tariq, GoFundMe’s Chief Marketing Officer about a role at GoFundMe, which is what brought me to the position I’m in now— Brand Designer at GoFundMe. I am so excited about this next chapter in my career and feel extremely grateful to have built a career thus far in design and social impact.
Designer, Illustrator, and Letterer Robin Hilkey
How would you describe your aesthetic and how has your design style changed over time?
It’s difficult to answer as I feel like my aesthetic is ever changing and evolving. In regards to my portrait work, they were done in a very realistic style. The portraits have been my way of memorializing these lives and sharing their story. I wanted to do their likeness as much justice as I could. I enjoy creating creating work where you can see my hand. There’s an organic and gritty element to my style and aesthetic.
What themes do you like to explore through your work and why?
It’s incredibly important to me that my work gives voice to the voiceless or to voices that might otherwise be overlooked. A lot of my personal work has been about my background and identity as a transracial adoptee. I was found beside a gate in a rural village in China when I was a few days old, I was then adopted when I was nine months old by a single white woman living in Brooklyn, New York. Themes of identity, belonging, and family are topics that I like to explore through my work. I strongly believe in the power of art design to have an impact on the world and make a difference.
What’s your creative process like and how do you typically work through a project?
It varies depending on the project, but typically I like to start by doing a good amount of research and inspiration gathering—building moodboards and stylescapes. From there, I like to sketch by hand, pencil and paper (thought this doesn’t always happen) before moving to digital. Usually I’ll work through a few rounds of revisions, first presenting a client with a few directions before settling on one to move forward with.
What’s been one of your favorite projects to work on and why?
This one is from a few years ago now, but I really loved working on my degree project, The Way It Is/Isn’t. I enjoyed the amount of time I had to develop the concept, research and create the deliverables. I ended up making a short preview film and then a longer one as well as a booklet. The project was meant to address the extreme duality of the way orphans and adoptees are represented in media—film, television, books and even video games. We’re either portrayed as villains (think Voldemort) or superheroes (think Superman). I hope to continue this project and evolve it some time soon.
Where do you find creative inspiration?
I have quite a few books I regularly like to always go back to. I also really love going for walks around my neighborhood, I’ve always found graffiti and street art to be inspiring in so many ways.
Do you have any favorite design resources?
I scour Pinterest, Behance, Dribbble, and Under Consideration. Jon Contino’s book Brand by Hand is one of my absolute favorites.
What advice would you give to designers who are just starting out?
Write everything down. Even if it’s just one sentence in the notes app on your phone. Make lists, even if it’s just random words or bits of ideas—jot it all down. Who knows when it might come in handy down the road.
Follow your passions. This may be easier said than done, but—as much and as best as you can, follow your heart, whatever it is that gets your blood pumping. Of course, there will be grunt work and projects where your heart’s just not in it but when it is, that’s where you’ll strike gold.
Thank you for sharing with us Robin! To view more of Robin’s work, visit her website and follow her on Instagram.
All images courtesy of Robin Hilkey.