Meet Makenzie Harris: Graphic Designer & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Makenzie Harris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Makenzie, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
From the beginning, pursuing a creative career was the only thing that felt right. I love all things art; photography, drawing, painting, dancing, writing, cooking/baking, and many other forms. Graphic Design is just the thing I decided was going to be the one thing I wanted to do and put all my effort, heart and soul into. Now, I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by such creative people every day who make my everyday life more enjoyable, and I can’t even begin to imagine myself making a different choice.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Currently, I’m a senior graphic designer at a technology company where I’m responsible to create awesome graphics to help communicate about care in the home. One thing that I love about my job is that my work actually has an impact on other people’s lives, and it’s also a great opportunity for me as a professional designer to help push my creative boundaries. I also have a freelancing business on the side where I help people with custom graphic needs, branding/rebranding their business, social media campaigns, and photographing special moments for couples and families. I’ve now been freelancing for 5+ years now and enjoying every second of it. My brand for ‘Makenzie’s Design’ is constantly evolving and growing with me as I learn more and work with new people and new cultures, but the one thing I would say that has stayed consistent is definitely my passion for design and my love of working with people. My creative journey started with college. I always knew that I wanted to study art, and when it was time to go to college, it was a matter of what type of art I should study. Then I discovered graphic design, it just felt like a puzzle that’s waiting for me to solve it. I was hooked. I studied Advertising Design, a mixed degree of marketing and graphic design, it turned out to be the best of both worlds for me. I got to learn everything about graphic design, and I got to learn how to apply it to marketing strategies and the psychological side of design. Not every design works for every audience or culture, there’s a whole other aspect to how people perceive colors and fonts and the different elements you put into design, so you really have to know the target market if you want to make an effective design. Learning this was both fun and challenging at the same time, and I think that’s what made me fall in love with it more. The more time I spent designing, learning about how designs work, what makes people tick, and also getting to spend time with other creative minds, the more I couldn’t wait start my own business, and that’s what I did with Makenzie’s Design. I would say my biggest lesson during all of this is to get out of your own head and not worry about everything being perfect the first time. There will always be something you are learning, it will be something you never stop doing in life, so just take things in strides, keep a positive attitude, and just have fun and keep loving what you do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My absolute favorite thing in the world is coffee! There are so many places around Dallas that have AMAZING coffee, too many to just pick one to take my best friend to. One of the things I like to do is Coffee Hop; not only is it a great way to try different coffees, but it’s also a very fun way to sight see and take photos around Dallas. I’ve gotten to explore places I probably never would have gone to if it wasn’t for coffee hopping. I also got the added bonus of trying some amazing food from some of these coffee shops too. One of these places is called ‘Toasted Coffee + Kitchen’, it’s in the Lower Greenville area has a great selection of coffees, teas, smoothies and awesome food. Another favorite place of mine would be ‘Ascension Coffee’, located in the Dallas design district, not only did they have an amazing nitro cold brew, but their ricotta soufflé pancake was absolutely heavenly. These are some of my favorite places that have very unique atmospheres, amazing coffee, and amazing food.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The biggest influence and door opener in my life is God. Without Him, I never would have found the path I’m on right now, my life would probably look a whole lot different. I’d also love to give a shout out to my family, I love them so much and can’t thank them enough for all the love and support they’ve given me throughout the years. My wonderful friends who have been supportive through everything and have helped me a lot along the way. My colleagues at Axxess also deserve a shout out, it’s a place where I grow more every day and I am inspired to do my best. I’d also love to thank everyone who has supported my freelancing career, whether I helped them brand/rebrand their business or I got to do some fun photography shoots with them, I’m grateful for their support and can’t wait to see where my career takes me.

Website: www.makenziesdesign.com
Instagram: @makenzies_design
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/makenzies-design/
Twitter: @MakenziesDesign
Facebook: @MakenziesDesign
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/makenzies-design-dallas

Image Credits
Mentopia Productions