DIGITAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR, FINE, PORTLAND OR
Tsilli has been designing digital experiences since the dawn of the web browser and has launched countless award-winning projects for clients large and small. She is currently Digital Creative Director at FINE, a brand and digital agency with 20+ years experience in wine, hospitality, tech, architecture and financial services. And she is also the founding Director of Design Week Portland – a festival that spans design disciplines and celebrates design as one of our most-promising cultural, social, and economic resources.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?
I was born in Israel, grew up in Berkeley CA, and now live in Portland OR
DID YOU GO TO DESIGN SCHOOL?
I’m a Parsons dropout
LEFTY OR RIGHTY?
Righty
MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Insomniac
FICTIONAL OR HISTORICAL CHARACTER YOU IDENTIFY WITH?
Liz Lemon
ARE YOU MUSICAL AND/OR DO YOU PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?
I imitate all the voices from my kid’s favorite shows to amuse her. Does that count
FAVORITE BOOK?
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. I usually favor novels, though, because they convey more about the human condition than non-fiction
FAVORITE MOVIE?
Ruby in Paradise, Ronin, Radio Days
FAVORITE TV BINGE WATCH?
RuPaul’s Drag Race
FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM?
Coffee date with a friend
FAVORITE FINE ARTIST?
Jenny Holzer, Yoko Ono, Cindy Sherman, Tara Donovan, Maya Lin, Elinor Carucci
FAVORITE CHARITY?
Polaris Project, Partners in Health, Planned Parenthood
FAVORITE FREE TIME ACTIVITY?
Movies and naps
COLLECT ANYTHING?
I have hoarder tendencies, so I’m careful about how much stuff I bring into my life
COLOR USED MOST OFTEN IN YOUR DESIGN?
I’m drawn to red and yellow in my self-directed work. In client work, it’s important to stay open to whatever serves the project goals
TYPEFACE USED MOST OFTEN IN YOUR DESIGN?
I write a lot of email in Helvetica, which is now my dominant design medium
DOES PRINT HAVE A ROLE IN YOUR DESIGNS?
Most of my client work is digital, but I do flirt with print sometimes via my extracurriculars. A lot of the community work I do has artifacts: programs, posters, signage
DESIGN MENTOR/INSPIRATION/HERO?
Tibor Kalman
GREATEST STRENGTH/WEAKNESS AS A DESIGNER?
Intuition
ADVICE TO A YOUNG DESIGNER JUST STARTING OUT?
Do everything the long, hard, stupid way
IF YOU WERE NOT A DESIGNER, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
Probably a politician
A MANTRA OR SAYING YOU LIVE BY?
Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you
