We’re looking forward to introducing you to Raiylah Johnson. Check out our conversation below.
Raiylah, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Something that I really enjoy doing, design wise, is making cute illustrations or designs with no bounds. Doing deep design thinking is rewarding, and seeing something really well thought out be developed visually is a really cool process. However, I also find it really fun to just make things that aren’t deep, but are just fun, cute, and meant to bring joy to myself and others.
Outside of design, things that make me lose track of time are binging good tv shows, spending time with my family and friends, and going out to eat good food! I also absolutely love to travel, as I feel like it helps me to reset, get away from my normal routine, and get to experience a new area or culture. I recently was able to visit South Korea and Japan for 2 weeks, and it left me feeling enamored, refreshed, and inspired.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I was always a mix of analytical and creative, which led me to graphic design after a simple search for “creative careers” in high school. The field’s blend of technical rules and boundless creative problem-solving immediately appealed to me. After falling in love with it in high school, I pursued a degree in Graphic Design at Wayne State University. Throughout college, I prioritized gaining real-world experience, completing three diverse internships, including roles with Heylo Creative, the Detroit Pistons, and Real Chemistry, which helped me become a more well-rounded designer and communicator.
Upon graduating, I joined Real Chemistry first as an intern, and then was invited to stay on full time. Real Chemistry is a healthcare-focused advertising agency. I’ve been there for a little over a year now as a Junior Designer, focusing on pharmaceutical advertising. In this role, I’ve had the invaluable opportunity to work across many different clients and produce design solutions for a wide array of mediums, constantly building new skills and exploring new creative possibilities.
Although my specialization is in Graphic Design, I have an aspiration to learn more about the Product Design space, as I would love to continue to make creative solutions inside of interfaces. I am currently working to learn more and get more experience in that area of design.
I would describe my personal design style as clean but dynamic! I really enjoy cute illustrations and fun color combinations!
Overall, I am incredibly grateful for the support of my family throughout this journey. They have always supported me through everything, which has made it easy to pursue this passion.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
I simply would not be the person or the professional I am today without the unwavering support and inspiring example of my family—my incredible dad, mom, and sister. From the very beginning, my parents laid the foundation for my success, not just by telling me they supported my pursuit of a creative career, but by living a life that demonstrated the power of industriousness and dedication. I watched them work incredibly hard, earning their master’s degrees while simultaneously working full time and raising my sister and me, 6 years old and 3 years old. That powerful example of perseverance and drive is a core value they instilled in me, motivating me to always work hard, keep learning, and continually improve myself.
Their belief in me gave me the confidence to pursue graphic design, and their sacrifices fuel my motivation every single day.
Beyond my parents, my older sister has been a true mentor, generously sharing invaluable lessons on how to advocate for myself and navigate the professional world. She is my constant cheerleader, and having her and my parents’ love and support has made it easy to chase my passion. I am eternally grateful for the profound impact they’ve had on my life and career.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
When I was younger, I was convinced that I was going to go into a mathematical career, specifically accounting. I was good at math at that time, and enjoyed it, so I figured I might as well turn that into a career.
I didn’t necessarily fail at math, but it started to get more and more complicated. Once letters started to be involved, it just got harder from there! I realized that, while I wasn’t failing at the work, I was failing at being passionate about it.
It’s what made me think about what else I was good at, which was creative things!
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
In the beginning, when I was first starting to learn graphic design, I had the idea that it was going to be really easy. Highly skilled designers make their work look so flawless and effortless that it creates this illusion of simplicity.
I’m still extremely early in my career, but I definitely don’t agree with that sentiment anymore. I realize that good design possesses an incredible depth and complexity that goes largely unrecognized by the casual observer. This is, ironically, the very definition of success: when design is truly effective—especially in interfaces—it feels seamless, intuitive, and almost invisible because it’s so right.
It is built on much more than aesthetics. Colors, typography, contrast, spacing, composition, graphical elements, layering, grids, and the list goes on! There’s even a mathematical element to it regarding spacing and grid systems.
So, I no longer believe it is easy. Part of it is that instinct you build the more you practice, but at its foundation, design is rooted in strategy, and it is not as surface level as I initially believed.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What will you regret not doing?
In the future, I will have regrets if I don’t make the most of where I am now, being very early in my career.
As I’ve talked to people well into their career, they all pretty much say the same thing to me: “Be a sponge.” I really want to take this time to learn, soak up, and explore as much as possible about this field and about myself. Then, I can find out what I really enjoy doing, and learn even more about that!
The reason I would have regrets is because I understand that it is harder to explore new aspects of your career the deeper you get into it. So, I really want to take advantage of the opportunities for exploration that I have now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.raiylahjohnson.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raiylahjohnson/
