Daily Inspiration: Meet Hunter Saylor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hunter Saylor.

Hi Hunter, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My life has always revolved around art and design. My parents were a big help in allowing me to have an artistic passion, especially since they were creative people who enjoyed going all out when it came to being artistic, especially during Halloween. My mom is a graphic designer, and I saw much of her work growing up. That introduced me to the world of graphic design, which I would pursue much later in life. I graduated from Queen Creek High School in 2016 and went to Arizona State University-Polytechnic to study under GIT (Graphic Information Technology). In 2018, I interviewed with Voyage Phoenix as a college sophomore. I am glad to report that I graduated with my master’s degree in 2021! While I continue the legacy of graphic designers in my family, I did pick up another focus area that’s now my main career focus – video editing. Since graduating from ASU, I’ve been working on growing my skills as a graphic designer and a video editor, expanding my portfolio, and connecting with other creatives and clients. In October 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I ran a workshop during Phoenix Design Week called “Conceptfolio,” where I taught people how to build a portfolio without clients. In addition to that, for the past two years, I worked with a videographer named Nick LaRovere of Occulus Films, a video production studio based in Phoenix. He helped me expand my editing skills, which has helped me become a better video editor, so if you’re reading this, Nick, thanks! I’ve had the opportunity to work on many projects for people like Bayer, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies; Melon 1, the largest grower, packer, and distributor of watermelons in the United States; NASCAR’s Ross Chastain, the Governor of Alaska Mike Dunleavy, World Animal Protection and many more.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
I’ve been more at peace lately because there’s finally some stability, but it was a rough road for the longest time. Whether there were personal things I went through during college or having long periods where I was the physical embodiment of a starving artist. I would do many jobs to start my design and video editing career, but I would get rejected constantly. It’s a tough industry, especially when you have employers who need help understanding the role they’re hiring for or have too high of expectations with wages that are too low for what’s being requested. There were days when I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin because I’d exhausted my efforts to make my career a reality. I sent out all the job applications and all the people I’ve messaged, pitching them how I could help their business in a design or video fashion. Sometimes, it can get to be too much to think about. I think of this weird analogy when things get too much, and I need a more optimistic approach. It will sound like it has a negative connotation, but stay with me for a moment. The analogy I think of is me stacking porcelain plates and cups where it towers over me, swaying back and forth in an unstable way. At any moment, it will collapse from the weight it carries. I look at it as, at some point, for every application and message I send out into the world, hoping that I could get my career started, something will finally give, causing the porcelain tower to fall, allowing me to have what I’m after finally.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with what you do?
I’m a video editor and a graphic designer native to Arizona. I’ve jumped around regarding the subject matter and format for video and design. In the video, I’ve been in charge of editing music videos, brand stories, social media video content (Instagram reels), commercials/promos, documentary/behind-the-scenes films, short film work, and more. As for design, I’ve worked on book covers, business cards, brochures, posters, infographics, and anything I can do. With these being my career focus, my job is to adapt to every client, which I’ve been able to do with ease. What sets me apart from others is my communication and my creative problem-solving. Also, many clients have told me that I’ve been able to read them well regarding what they want. Not only do I deliver a product that is precisely what they’re looking for, but I also deliver something that goes above and beyond often. Sometimes, I get an emotional response from a client, which is always incredible. It reassures me that I am skilled at what I do when I have moments of doubt.

How do you define success?
Longevity and legacy play a big part in defining success. As a creator, whenever I work with clients on a project, whether it’s design or video, I ensure that the client has everything they need, where if I’m no longer in the picture, they can continue to carry on the torch I’ve lit. The obvious example is branding because if I establish an identity for a client’s business with rules and a foundation, whoever they hire after me can continue designing and creating content that follows said rules and established identities. Often, when I have clients who want one logo designed, I’ll try to sway them toward doing a brand instead; that way, they have a solid foundation for their business’ identity. Often, what I’ll see is I’ll create something for them with a specific look, and they’ll take what I made and add something that completely goes against the look, like how some websites, when the internet first started, would use a yellow background but have neon green text. It just doesn’t work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.designersaylor.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thedesignersaylor