How did Liquidink grow from freelancing to a studio, and how has your vision shaped its approach?
I began my career as an independent freelancer, focusing on illustration projects for about three to four years. My passion for storytelling through design and art drove me during this time. While I held a full-time job in user experience design, I dedicated my evenings and nights to illustration and visual storytelling. It was during this period that the concept of Liquidink Design started to take shape. I was fortunate to meet a young intern designer who shared the same enthusiasm and was eager to get involved. Their energy provided Liquidink with a dynamic and promising start.
As our projects increased in number and complexity, I carefully assembled a team of passionate, like-minded designers. This shared creative enthusiasm became the foundation of Liquidink Design, a studio dedicated to innovation, collaboration, and a deep love for design. From the very beginning, we have remained committed to our belief that creative integrity is non-negotiable.
For us, design isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about solving creative challenges in ways that are both meaningful and impactful. Every day, we wake up inspired to push boundaries, experiment with ideas, and craft work that brings stories to life.
We’ve intentionally remained a compact team, allowing us to stay agile, focused, and deeply involved in every project. This close-knit setup fosters seamless collaboration, ensuring that every piece of work we produce is infused with originality and purpose. The steady flow of inspiring projects and the trust of people who believe in our vision have made this journey incredibly rewarding.
How did you secure collaborations with Google, Adobe, Microsoft, and Disney, and what made your studio stand out?
We have been fortunate to collaborate with industry giants on projects that blend creative storytelling and product design, including a 160-foot mural at Disney’s Connection Café in Florida.
As a young studio, LiquidinkInk benefited greatly from these partnerships, which shaped our commitment to quality and creativity. We excel at merging user experience, architecture, and branding, aiming to infuse character into otherwise bland screens and spaces.
In crowded markets, meaningful narratives are essential for products to resonate with end users. By combining features with compelling storytelling, we build character. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with many talented individuals in the industry, learning valuable lessons from each collaboration.
How does Liquidink Design use illustrations in UI/UX to enhance functionality and storytelling while blending logic, art, and design?
Our work philosophy is straightforward; we believe in a multidisciplinary approach where UI, UX, illustration, motion design, and development are not separate entities, but rather interconnected elements that complement each other and bring the product or brand story to life. Instead of imposing boundaries and treating product development as a linear process, we integrate these skills from the very beginning of the project. By considering all aspects of design, we aim to create an immersive design narrative.
In my early experience working at Adobe, I gained insight into how we could incorporate both logic and emotion into our work every day. Our daily discussions went beyond just the logical structure, business value, and workflow; we also focused on the emotional connections we wanted to create with our products.
I was fortunate to work with consumer products like Photoshop Elements, which were designed for both young and older audiences. Their goals often included creating photo books of cherished family memories or making video narratives of recent trips. This required us to consider not only the logical aspects of the product but also the emotional connections, storytelling, and relationships involved in the process. By focusing on these elements, we aimed to make the product more engaging and effective in helping users achieve their goals.
This has become the foundation of our daily operations and mindset at the studio.
How does your team ensure cohesive, user-centered solutions across branding, motion, and product design?
We believe that individuals with diverse perspectives outside of UX/UI can significantly enhance the creativity involved in the product design process. Incorporating specialists in motion design, illustration, storytelling for children, painting, and sculpture allows us to embrace an ‘outside-in’ thinking approach to building brands and products. This has been central to our narrative.
I come from an art background and over the years tried to shape my career to blend the two worlds of art and design. Having a very compact/hand-picked team who started their careers as interns at the studio and have spent significant time makes a huge difference in understanding the objective of the client and also delivering on what we can bring to the table (creative thinking).
