EXTROVERTED INTROVERT

Hello! I'm Karissa.

I am a designer, creative director, explorer, and magic maker.

I'm a Bay Area native that feels the most at home in remote open spaces. A designer, illustrator, and manifester with big dreams.

Obsessed with: my python Eros, new recipes, tea baths, anything antique and gold.

I am: excited by new avenues of work, quick to finish projects, and inspired by nature + the feminine, + mental health.

I am not: traditional or corporate, satisfied with one aesthetic, or afraid of critical feedback.

Empathy for Client's Goals

Desire to Make a Big Impact

Educated + Skilled in Professional Design Tools

Determined and Productive Work Ethic

Quick + Efficient Maximizer

STRENGTHS

Empowerment

Mental Health

Environmental Conservation

Adventure Tourism

Financial Abundance

DRIVERS

My Confidence

ALLOW ME TO TAKE YOU FARTHER THAN MOST

ILLUSTRATOR

97%

INDESIGN

85%

WIX

85%

PHOTOSHOP

80%

LIGHTROOM

PROCREATE

90%

unsure of yourself

You want to know what lights me up? Making people feel heard, seen, and excited to celebrate their uniqueness and feel less alone...because let's be honest...this journey gets super lonely and there is a lot of competition out there, especially with social media glued to our hands.

If I can be that portal for you that whispers in your ear: "let's make your business look really damn good" while the rest of our lives are provoking doubts...then I consider my mission a success.

Even with the confidence I have, I know what it feels like to be

when you

take a big business leap.

Taking a look back

...we could say my Capricorn nature had something to do with it.

In fact, I started my freshman year in college as an audio engineer major. After two years of college, I took time to explore. I worked at Disneyworld in Florida through Disney's College Program. From there I hopped on a plane to Paris, France to be an "au pair" for a year and a half. I became obsessed with the aesthetic of the Parisian lifestyle and couldn't go anywhere without my camera. On my time off I would overlay images, play with typography, and draw. My supportive family would say, "you know this is what graphic design is right?"

From there I knew exactly what I wanted to get my degree in. Every assignment, every final exam, every bit of homework was So - Much - Fun. Literally loved every class I had. I graduated with honors and the rest is history.

I may not have known I was going to be
a designer but I knew I would always create.

Years Under My Belt

EDUCATED + WORKING IN THIS FIELD FOR YEARS

Lead Graphic Designer
+ Creative Director

2017

Overseeing the design process from client meetings, design, order procurement, quality control, and receiving for a graphic design agency specializing in branding, apparel and merchandise design centered around outdoor adventure tourism in Moab Utah.

Bachelors Degree

2016

San Francisco State University • CA

B.S. in Visual Communication Design

Minor in Marketing

Degree Honors Magna Cum Laude

The Birth of Issa Designs

2020

Took a leap of faith towards my all time dream and started my own company specializing in branding, graphic design, web design, and custom illustration on a national scale.

2023

Issa Designs Today

Successfully worked with over a hundred clients from all over the country on all sorts of projects like saving native bees to base jumping to life coaching. In doing so, I also have cultivated my own designs and entered the retail market selling my own design goods.