Meet Erica Larson, The Designer Behind #HolidayEmojiWeek

All week you’ve marveled at her work, now meet the woman spreading so much holiday cheer.

Graphic design is, in many ways, both an art and a science. It’s one thing to have the artful vision to be able to see a creative concept. But it’s entirely different to be able to execute on that vision on a digital canvas like Illustrator CC, which requires mastering Bezier curves and seamlessly blending them together.

The designer behind #HolidayEmojiWeek is Erica Larson, an art director on Adobe’s team. Although she considers herself a creative designer, in some ways, her style of execution is more akin to mathematician specializing in geometry. The reality behind all of the adorable emojis is a series of complex shapes and Bezier curves combining to create expressive faces. Generating beautiful vector designs is a blend of artistic vision and geometric precision.

Adobe Pride 2017 Identity by Erica Larson, Brian Yap, and Kashka Pregowska-Czerw

Death Cab For Cutie Poster for Adobe Summit 2017 by Erica Larson and Brian Yap

Erica loves working with shapes and effortlessly sees the world deconstructed in elegant geometry. As a workshop instructor at the Minnesota Street Project, she enjoys teaching and sharing her process with others. The videos featured during the week are all screen recordings created by Erica. Anyone that knows her will surely agree that Erica’s passion for drawing and illustrations radiates in her workshops and her work. Just look at the emojis she created for this week — you just can’t help but to smile at the joy and energy those emojis emanate.

As we celebrate the holidays this year, we also celebrate the millions of creatives out there like Erica who uplift us with their work. As you create your own emojis this week, have fun and explore. Add a little flair to your work and spread the holiday cheer!