Olga Perelman - Founder, Inner Peach Design
Olga is a California-based illustrator, graphic designer and printmaker with a unique artistic style and a hunger for growth. She’s also the founder of Inner Peach Design, a creative brand selling fun and empowering paper goods, apparel, and accessories that are made to help others feel and look peachy. We absolutely loved working with Olga for our recent merchandise launch, The WFH Collection. She brought our ideas for the line to life in ways we couldn’t have dreamed up ourselves, and we can’t wait to work with her again!
The Basics:
Hometown: Eugene, Oregon
Current city: Alisi Viejo, California
Alma mater: Saddleback College
Degree: A.A., Fine Art
Very first job: Gymnastics Coach
Hustle: Founder, Inner Peach Design; Freelance Graphic Designer + Illustrator
The Interests:
Babe you admire and why?
My mom! She’s truly my number one fan and she’s done so much to love and support me.
What’s your favorite way to start (or end) your weekend?
With a margarita ;)
Favorite way to de-stress?
Put on one of my favorite vinyls & just LISTEN. Billy Joel’s “The Stranger” never fails to soothe me. Also roller skating! I started last May.
What IG account have you been binge-scrolling lately?
@ddbdosk8s. It’s 2021, but the algorithm still knows to suggest roller skate content.
What would you do if you inherited millions and didn’t have to work anymore?
Ideal answer: rent out an arena for a Harry Styles show. Slightly less Ideal answer: move to Paris or the French countryside and enjoy all the beauty it has to offer.
Would you consider yourself more of an introvert or extrovert?
I always considered myself to be an extroverted introvert. I was a major homebody, even pre-covid.
The Hustle:
Tell us about your hustle.
I wear all the hats in my business, Inner Peach Design. Daily tasks include checking and answering my emails—which could range from customer service subjects to wholesale opportunities to production—planning my Instagram content, and packing and shipping orders. On top of that, I need to keep track of my ever-changing inventory and work on designs for new products. Planning new products is probably the most time-consuming process out of everything because it involves a lot of material research, back and forth design work, and figuring out quantities and pricing. Sometimes I’m also working on a freelance client project on the side.
When did your passion for art and design begin? When did you decide to pursue this love professionally?
I can’t say for sure, but definitely when I was in elementary school—shoutout to my mom for making us artsy kids. I decided to pursue art professionally right out of high school; I didn’t want to waste time and money on school, so I thought it logical to jump right into graphic design.
How did you work up the courage to put some of your earliest work out there?
Before I took any college art courses, I used to post some things I would make on Tumblr. This felt like the best thing I could do at the time because I didn’t have a portfolio but figured that any shared work would be better than none. (Looking back on it, most of what I made was quite cheesy.) Flash forward to today, where I’m super picky about what I post on my personal Instagram, but I still see a lot of value in sharing work that I take pride in. As frustrating as social media can be, I truly think Instagram can be a great platform for sharing work, because there’s a chance that people will see what you’ve made, and in time you can grow your following. Overnight growth is very rare, so lots of patience and perseverance is needed. And truth be told, having connections or even just one major shoutout/promotion can catapult you very far forward. (Which means that some of the well-known people you follow may have gotten to where they are now with a lot of help.) So don’t give up if things seem slow.
What have some of your most memorable (or favorite) projects and collaborations looked like so far?
As a freelancer, my favorite projects to date were my various package designs I did for The Fernseed, a cool plant shop in Tacoma, WA. I also enjoyed painting my first mural for my favorite local bakery, my first single cover design, and designing the new merch for BWH ;) In the future I’d really love to work on merch for musicians! I also hope to take on more mural projects, and any sort of album artwork would be truly amazing!
What design programs do you use most often? What tools would you recommend to someone interested in graphic design but unsure where to start?
Adobe Illustrator is my bestie, followed by Procreate (on the ipad) and Photoshop. I definitely think learning the ropes of both those Adobe programs is crucial to someone interested in graphic design. They can be confusing when learning on your own, so taking a community college course or even a class on Skillshare would be so beneficial if you’re just starting out.
Tell us about your creative process.
Oof. I’m definitely big on making lists, but I’ve noticed my best designs or design ideas will come to me randomly, or often at night right before I fall asleep. If I have a new idea that I suddenly feel excited about, I make sure to write it down in my Notes app or in my visual journal if I have it handy. When I feel ready to tackle the idea, I might form a moodboard depending on the project, and then start sketching in my journal. I always like to physically draw the designs before I rework them a bunch digitally.
How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?
I think all of the fine art and design courses I took were ultimately beneficial to growing my skills as an artist. For some of the courses, it was simply good practice and the opportunity to hone my drawing skills. The first graphic design course I took was actually where I learned the basics of Adobe Illustrator. Simply put, I don’t think any of these experiences truly prepared me for becoming a self-employed designer. Did they help me in many ways? Yes. Did they shine a light on what I was getting myself into? Not really.
Have you always had an entrepreneurial spirit? What drew you to freelance life, and what’s your advice for someone who wants to work for themselves but is nervous to take the leap?
Not going to lie: I probably didn’t think enough about the logistics of freelancing when I first decided to go for it. I just felt like I had good skills and great ideas and thought, how hard could it be to make logos for people? I was clearly a bit naive. As I touched on earlier, I don’t like wasting time and money, I strongly believed that skills and portfolio are more important than a degree, and I knew I would be able to grow both over time. While I still believe this to be true, freelancing definitely comes with challenges one needs to be prepared for. My advice would be to try to show a range of work in your portfolio, think about the clients you want to have, and make imaginary projects that showcase what you can do. At first, be ready to possibly hunt for jobs that might not be super fun or ideal. Also start with a fair rate, but try not to undercut yourself too much; sadly this is still a constant struggle for designers in our field.
How has being a woman impacted your professional experiences? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
Unfortunately as with most things, being a woman in the art/design world, especially a young woman, means you won’t be taken as seriously as men. At times I could tell that people didn’t see what I did as a true profession or career choice, and I often felt like client rejections may have gone differently if I were actually a man. I think first steps are for people to remember that men have a leg up in almost every field. Women need to be allowed equal opportunities and should be judged—and paid—based on skill, not gender. I’ve seen so much growth and support from women in various communities over these past few years; it’s so inspiring, and I think we’re headed in the right direction. More importantly, though, I think it’s vital for creatives to be open to being transparent about pricing and processes so that we can stop being put in the position by clients where we feel the need to undercut ourselves. We need more talk on respecting industry standards!
What’s one of the biggest obstacles you’ve faced in your work? How’d you overcome it?
Undercutting myself. In the past, I knew I was devaluing my work on just about every client project I took, but of course, I worried about not having work. I now try to be up to date with freelance rates in our community and choose to say no to projects that wouldn’t be fair to me as a designer.
What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
That’s so tough, but I’d say painting my first mural at a bakery—because that was physically the biggest project I’ve ever done. It’s something I’ve always wanted to try, so the feeling of pride and accomplishment I have whenever I visit that bakery is truly incomparable.
What’s one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve made in your career?
Silly answer: my Rollo Printer. Slightly more serious answer: all of the above. If I hadn’t invested as much time, energy, and money as I have, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today with my business.
Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
Thanks to Instagram, I have a constant flow of inspiration from various freelance illustrators and small business owners that I really look up to. My favorites include @kristerpelly, @lisacongdon, @nathalie_lete, @circa78designs, @autumnalwood, @kjplumb, @dreyfus.art—I could go on and on.
How do you rest, recharge and find inspiration?
To be completely honest, this has been quite difficult for me during this pandemic. I love to travel, so normally I would use my travels as a time to get inspired and recharged. Now my process feels a bit more forced and less organic, but I try to pull inspiration from various design books I’ve collected, fashion, and some of the illustrators I mentioned. Mix that in with my current seasonal Spotify playlist and lots of feelings, and that’s usually how my ideas are birthed.
Career and/or life advice for other babes?
Try to figure out what brings you satisfaction in life, and see if you can channel that in your career so it can bring you more joy. Remember that success is only measured by what you deem it to be, not what others think. Try to find or make a small community of like-minded people in your field—people who will support you, encourage you, and answer questions (not just keep things secret.) If there’s something you think you want to do, TRY IT! You may otherwise always be wondering “what if?” The worst thing you can do is fail, but there is also success in failing.
Connect with Olga:
Personal Instagram / Business Instagram / Email
This interview has been condensed and edited.
Check out the Work From Home Collection!
Created with the everyday working professional in mind and designed by Olga Perelman herself, the WFH Collection features bold, cheeky and colorful statement pieces that remind us not to take the hustle too seriously. Check it out!
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