Sitting Down With Estland’s New Art Director, Lindsey Kelly
Lindsey Kelly may be Estland’s new Art Director, but she’s been bringing the creativity and the strategy behind many of our clients’ brands, websites and marketing campaigns for years now.
John Krampf sat down with Lindsey to talk about her new role, clean design, camping with small children and why lo-fi music has become an essential part of her creative process.
Q&A
So, I have to admit, I didn’t realize you were such a big camper and kayaker.
Yeah! We actually have a camper. Nothing fancy, but once we had kids, the idea of tent camping started to feel a little daunting. The camper gives us beds, air conditioning, a kitchen and a bathroom, which definitely makes things easier.
Yeah that’s a necessary upgrade to camping in my book.
Exactly. We still love being outdoors, hiking and kayaking, but the camper makes it much more realistic with small kids involved.
Do your kids kayak with you?
We’ve kayaked with our daughter, Leona. She’ll just sit with us and snack on Goldfish the whole ride. Our son Brennan is a little more rambunctious, so we’ll probably wait another year before introducing him to that
That sounds wise. When the parent-to-kid ratio is even, all bets are off.
Yeah, he likes climbing on everything.
So, what has the transition to Art Director been like for you so far?
Honestly, it’s felt pretty seamless. A lot of my day-to-day hasn’t changed because I’m still very involved in the work itself, but I’ve had more opportunities to build direct relationships with clients, which I genuinely love.
Why is that part important to you?
When you build a real connection with someone, you naturally want to do exceptional work for them. It also helps eliminate a lot of miscommunication because fewer messages are getting passed around between people.
You’ve worked across design, content, strategy and marketing throughout your career. How has that broader experience shaped the way you approach creative work?
Having a comprehensive view of the full production process makes me a better resource for both clients and our internal team. I’ve had my hands on almost every type of project at some point, so I can understand how all the moving pieces connect and communicate across teams more effectively.
Before Estland, you also led teams of designers, photographers, videographers and developers. What did that teach you about collaboration?
That everyone plays an important role in a much bigger puzzle. The best collaboration happens when you break down barriers between teams. Once people understand how each group works and communicates, everything moves more smoothly.
You’re cross-dominant. Can you explain what that means?
I write with my left hand, but I’m mostly right-hand dominant for a lot of other things. Some tasks I naturally do left-handed and others right-handed. I’ve always joked that it’s probably a reflection of how my brain works because I’m very creative, but also extremely organized.
Do you think more creatively or analytically?
Honestly, both. I thrive on structure and systems, but I also have a lot of creative instincts that go back to childhood. I think those two sides balance each other out in a way that makes my work stronger.
Clean design is anything but simple. It just looks that way, which is kind of the point.”
Lindsey Kelly, Art Director, Estland
That actually leads perfectly into my next question: what’s something people may not realize about “simple” or clean design?
A lot of people think clean design is easy because it looks effortless, but it’s actually incredibly intentional. We live in a world with so much visual noise, and if a design adds to that clutter, the message gets lost. Good design helps guide people through information clearly and intentionally.
When you’re designing, do you listen to music or podcasts while you work?
Usually lo-fi or instrumental music. Anything with lyrics distracts me too much. I genuinely don’t understand how people can write emails while listening to songs with words.
What about outside of work?
I do listen to podcasts outside of work, especially true crime podcasts. I really like Crime Junkie because they often focus on smaller cases or missing persons cases that need more attention.
Do you have a favorite place you’ve visited recently?
I really loved visiting New York, even though we packed basically all of Manhattan into one very long day. I definitely want to go back and spend more time there.
Last question: outside of work, what helps you recharge creatively?
Honestly, probably being outdoors with my family. And lately, doing creative things with my daughter. She’s very artistic and constantly wants to make things together, which has been really fun to experience.
Well, again, congrats on the promotion, Lindsey, and thanks for sitting down with me. This was a lot of fun.
Happy to do it!
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