Meet Gabrielle de Fontanes | Illustrator & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabrielle de Fontanes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabrielle, what is the most important factor behind your success / success of your brand?
My determination and focus. I’ve never really viewed success as a monetary accomplishment but as an evolving way of being. Success is the way I conduct myself in life, the way my work challenges me and pushes me to achieve the next project at hand. It’s belief in myself, using tools like determination, reliability, motivation and focus, to overcome the ebbs and flows of a creative career. I believe these habits in which I carry with myself allow me to achieve the feeling of “success” everyday, on a micro and macro level.

Success is not something I work towards necessarily but a lifestyle I try to maintain within my work and work ethic. It’s about waking up in the morning and loving what you do despite how much or how little work it will be that day. Money is not the model for success in my eyes but seeing how my efforts affect the growth of my clients and myself is really powerful. You definitely attract what you put out in the world!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m an illustrator and graphic designer, whose work spans over a multitude of mediums. I’ve recently embarked on a new venture with my business partner, a full service design studio by the name of Buen Dia based in San Luis Obispo, CA. Over the past year we’ve had the pleasure of working on brand development projects, interiors and furniture design and illustrations for products such as stationary and print collections, all while building a team of like-minded steadfast individuals. We have two retail locations in the heart of Downtown SLO and are in a constant creative motion. As two LA natives, we make it a point to visit Los Angeles weekly and continue to cultivate relationships with other makers and craftspeople in the city to help bring our projects to life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As a Venice Beach native, I’ve recently had the opportunity to venture East as most of my business connections require me to do so now. I’ve had fun exploring new pockets of the city so I feel my focus would have to be there. Breakfast at Cafe Basque located at the Hoxton in DTLA followed with some fun shopping in Echo Park. Lake and OK Silverlake have been some recent and exciting finds. A visit to Despair Books is always a must. Lunch at Yunomi Handroll and dinner at either Manuela or Major Domo in DTLA, followed by rooftop drinks at the Proper Hotel.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have my inner circle to thank for all the nuances and skill sets I’ve adopted over the years which have allowed for my growth personally and professionally. They know who they are, a composition of friends, family, mentors who I cherish dearly and are constantly inspired by.

Website: https://www.gabrielledefontanes.com

Instagram: @gabrielledef

Other: https://buendiadesign.com https://www.behance.net/gabbygubef22 https://dribbble.com/Gabrielledef

Image Credits
Julie Jordan Jonathan Ventura William Gonzalez