Meet the Team | Nimbler. Heather McNamara
Home to diverse people from all walks of life, Nimble. is excited to introduce Brand Designer, Heather McNamara— a talented, multi-disciplinary creative with a natural knack for incorporating animation and illustration into her design process. Heather recently celebrated her first workiversary with the Nimble. crew.
Get to know her through this 4 minute Q&A below.
Let’s go deep–
Design does…
HM: I've heard it said many times that if design is done well, most people don’t ever notice it. This is true in cases where the function is more important than the form (things like wayfinding, product instructions, and even layouts of stores). If you are subconsciously understanding the design without having to think about it, the designer did their job well.
Design is…
HM: A form of communication and an avenue for interaction. As humans, we interact with design throughout every facet of our lives (driving directionals, email advertisements, magazines and publications, even social media). Whether it is a strong design or not, almost everything we see and interact with on a daily basis had some sort of design decision made.
I design because…
HM: It’s a constant challenge. Designers are creative problem solvers who are constantly asked how they can change the way people interact with the world around them. It is an exciting place to be and I love finding solutions that put form and function on the same plane.
Design is capable of…
HM: Sparking change in peoples mindsets and actions. When someone interacts with a strong design, they have an immediate reaction; whether it is subconscious like turning right when interacting with a well thought out wayfinding design, or a personal choice like feeling empathetic towards a new branding campaign, design is capable of bringing attention to causes, being the vehicle for communication, and the motivator for a change in heart.
Smoky Mountains (AKA Heather’s happy place)
Tell us a little about your role at Nimble. What excited you about the opportunity to design for the built environment?
HM: At Nimble., I collaborate with our team to bring client ideas and visions to life from visual styling to websites, marketing collateral to wayfinding (and many other in-application extensions).
Coming from a logo creation world and never seeing the things I designed come to fruition has led me to fall in love with the opportunity branding for the built environment presents — being able to nurture the brand and see its extensions through to fruition in 2 and 3D space. When possible, I love infusing custom illustration, iconography and animation to bring design to life.
What drove you to make the move from Knoxville to Atlanta?
HM: While I loved the motion industry, I also knew that I didn’t want to work in such a niche space forever. It was a super small world with lots of ‘crunch time’ assignments. Moving to Atlanta opened up a world of possibilities for me and allowed me to explore how I might spend more time creating a brand that would exist in the real world versus appearing on screen for seconds.
Heather and her mom
Who do you most admire and why?
HM: This one’s easy — my grandmother. She passed a few years ago, but she will always be my role model. She came from nothing — grew up on a farm in a house with dirt floor and no running water until she was a young adult, but you would’ve never known it. She was bright and driven. She became a nurse, had a family, was up for anything. Beyond her impressive story and hard work ethic, she had a powerful way of fighting for the people she cared most about. I love her.
What’s your backup career?
HM: If all else failed, I think I’d still land in the creative field. I’d probably be an illustrator. Right now in fact, I’m working on a side project illustrating two new children’s books my sister wrote. One is focused on hands-on learning, getting outside and exploring nature to learn. The other one is a dog’s diary. Stay tuned.
Heather hiking in Norway
Best advice for facing your fears?
HM: Talk about them. Articulating what you’re afraid of and why pushes the fears you build up in your head out into conversation space. Somehow the act of getting them out has the power to transform fear from a mental block into a simple obstacle you can overcome.
What’s the one thing the Nimble. community should know about you?
HM: I think it even says this in my Nimble. bio, but the one thing to know is I’m a homebody and a night owl! On the homebody front, I’ll find most excuses to stay home and be in my own comfort zone. BUT I’m also 100 percent on board for food or travel. On the night owl front, understanding this tendency and knowing when/how I work best has actually helped me find efficiencies and power in my creative process.
Thanks for reading the third interview in our Meet the Team series. Next up is Project Manager, Lauren Riedling.
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For questions or to add to the conversation, contact Candice Riley Campbell, candice@nimbledesignco.com | 404.445.3400.