Emily Gillis

Emily Gillis takes a holistic approach to design and branding.

Australian designer Emily Gillis’s vision is not limited to any specific medium. “I find it difficult not having control over the entire design spectrum,” she says. “I think it is imperative for branding to be coherent from a logo through to the fittings and materials used in an interior.” After graduating with a degree in visual communication in 2011, Gillis took on commissions from friends, developing the graphics and interior accessories for Tomboy café—where the coffee cups feature the illustrated faces of staff members—and Rita’s Cafeteria, a pizza bar in Melbourne. Gillis also designed the streamlined identities for brands like luxury sleepwear maker Masini & Chern and chocolate purveyor Citizen Cacao. She’s currently at work creating the design concept for a clothing store in New York City and another Melbourne café. Of the latter, she adds: “They are even letting me name the items on the menu—which could be dangerous!”