Soulbase Talk: Hayley Estep, Founder of Last Week Studio
Exploring Creativity and Community
Have you ever thought about who designed the menu at your favorite restaurant? The logo on your morning coffee cup? The drool-worthy photos from the bakery down the street?
A culinary student turned graphic designer and illustrator, Hayley Estep helps unique and creative brands—especially those in the hospitality industry—tell their story visually and connect with their audiences. Her design studio, Last Week Studio, brings vibrant aesthetics to the community through her beautiful client collaborations, whether in the form of branding, stunning photography or eye-catching websites.
Blending the worlds of design and illustration, Hayley also curates inclusive and safe spaces for creatives in Portland and beyond through dynamic events and workshops focused on creative processes like still-life art, ornament making and more.
We talked with Hayley about her journey from the world of food to the world of design, the inspiration behind her unique illustration style, how she stays inspired creatively and the role community and events play in her evolving business journey.
Text by Annika Bielig-Bussmann
Imagery and Graphic Design by Hayley Estep & Bri Zellos & Brandy Anderson & Lauren Beane
Can you tell us about your journey into the world of graphic design and illustration? What initially drew you to this creative field?
I originally went into college planning to study culinary arts, as I attended a culinary technical school in high school. While in my first semester, I found myself longing to create and design whatever I could get my hands on.
I moved back home to Vancouver, Washington and immediately made plans to get into the art program at my local community college. I had no experience in graphic design, but truthfully, I didn’t want a strictly fine arts degree because I hated math and would have had to take higher-level math courses. I settled on graphic design, as I have always been interested in technology and figured it would be a great route to learn more about the industry.
After four years of college, I achieved my Associate in Fine Arts with a focus in Graphic Design. After college, it took a few years to come back to my art and find my relationship not only among the food and beverage community but the design community as well.
Last Week Studio is known for its unique and captivating designs. What inspires your creative process, and how do you translate those inspirations into your work?
I love flowy, bold, chunky and modern design when it comes to my own work. I find a lot of inspiration in Japanese, Korean and Scandinavian designers. I love the flow of different symbols, characters and fonts that are design-focused yet legible.
When it comes to translating this in my work, I often create mood boards that reflect my interests as well as my client’s and then mash them together to create a functional design.
How did the idea for Last Week Studio come about, and what motivated you to launch your own creative venture? Additionally, could you share more about the workshops and events you focus on at Last Week Studio and how these endeavors contribute to your overall vision for the brand?
During 2022, I lost my job, and looking for a job at the time felt really few and far between. I already had amassed a handful of wonderful clients and decided to build on that.
By the end of 2022, I gained over eight clients at one time, and it really began to take a toll on my mental health, as I was severely overworked and underpaid. I decided I wanted to connect more with the community as a whole and began doing creative events and workshops in local spaces, cafes and restaurants in Portland.
Today, these early beginnings and events with the community have taught me that when you own a business, you must OWN your business. There have been many experiences that have taught me running a design business can be competitive and challenging, but in the end, I am the person who has the final say for my brand. I can start and stop things when I find it necessary and take my time as a creator with grace and integrity.
As both a graphic designer and illustrator, you have a diverse skill set. How do you find balance between these two disciplines in your projects, and do you find one aspect more challenging or rewarding than the other?
I try to look at design and illustration as one element that takes many different skills to bring together. I find a balance in these skills by educating myself through online resources and reaching out to fellow peers for feedback. I feel without continued education and honest feedback, design may become flawed and unusable, and illustrations may become repetitive.
I always tend to find design more difficult than illustration. Design can be tedious, and many different elements need to be equal to work properly. Illustrating is unique to the artist, and when an idea comes to mind, it takes much less time for me to “figure out” the process and edits than a design project.
Your work often features intricate details and vibrant colors. How do you approach color theory and composition when designing and illustrating, and how do these elements contribute to the overall narrative of your pieces?
Although I studied color theory throughout my time in college, I often scour Pinterest for inspiration in new and exciting colors. When I find a color I like, I begin to compile colors that tend to go well with the original choice and build from there.
After I have a solid set of colors as well as a unique shade of white, I use The Color Palette Studio’s Color Palette Tester to ensure all brand colors are usable, adjustable and work together in contrast. This process also allows me to find sub unit colors that may work in better contrast with the main color palette.
Collaboration is often integral to creative projects. Can you share any memorable collaborations or partnerships you've had at Last Week Studio and how they have influenced your creative process?
As a designer who works with clients, I get to collaborate with amazing brands as part of my day-to-day work. When I was reached out to by Courtney from Dining With Court for a full brand refresh, I knew we were going to create something amazing.
Both Courtney and myself have worked in the culinary industry for a few years, and our visions totally aligned with each other when it came to re-branding her supper club and Substack recipes.
This collaboration not only helped me better understand myself as a designer better in my adult years vs. my college years, but it truly helped me understand what it means to have a client that aligns with your own brand and how this can create better and stronger working relationships. Balancing your professional career and day to day life is always challenging for me, but at the end of the day, when you get to finalize and send off a project, it makes it all the more better.
Could you provide us with insight into how you conceive ideas for your creative workshops? How do you go about connecting with and finding like-minded creatives to collaborate with on these projects?
A lot of times, I just completely dream up ideas in my head. Last Week’s first event was something I had been thinking about for a while and never really knew how to execute it. When I finally found the location, everything started to come together visually.
I then used my own creative resources to source an artist for the event (as well as occasionally teaching myself if I am well versed on a project) as well as outside vendors I think may work well with the season as well as the project.
Hosting events takes a village, and I don’t say this lightly: everyone involved matters. I try to work with people I personally know or creatives I have sought out who tend to also have similar visions and interests. From the location to the event's purpose to the vendors to even the silverware, everything and everyone has a purpose.
Last but not least, what advice would you give to aspiring graphic designers and illustrators who are looking to carve out their own path in the industry? What lessons have you learned along your journey that you wish you had known when starting out?
If I could give anyone advice, it would be to stay patient. In my beginning years as a designer, I followed a ton of other artists that I used as inspiration on my projects for classes. Once out of college, I realized that individual style doesn’t just happen overnight; there may be elements of your original style, but everything comes from experiences.
Take the time to educate yourself, whether it be college classes or online classes on YouTube (there's an abundance of free materials). Have experiences outside of your creative realm or even experiment in other creative realms. It took me years to physically pick up my iPad after college and even start conceptualizing what I saw as good design.
Along my journey, I have learned above all else that there will be bad designs, bad experiences and terrible clients (it’s inevitable), but those bad moments will always be learning lessons to help push you towards better projects in the future.