About

Rotanz Design

est. 2017

Katie Rotanz Gillikin

Hello! I’m Katie. I’ve been working as a professional graphic designer for over 14 years in the Asheville area. My expertise lies in crafting distinctive logos, designing Squarespace websites, and providing ongoing design support for businesses and creatives located in Western North Carolina.

My style is minimal, striking and memorable. I believe in simplicity both in design and process. I know that a lot of people have never worked with a designer before so I strive for an easy, fun experience that gives my clients confidence in their brand.

Some of my favorite things are gardening, hiking and camping, crafting and spending time with my husband and two little girlies.

Education

  • Virginia Tech: BFA in Visual Communication Design and Women’s Lacrosse Team

  • AB Tech Community College: Continuing Education, Digital Media and Web Development courses

Work Experience

  • Art Director / Designer at Market Connections in Asheville, NC (2012 - 2016)

  • Art Director / Designer at Kudzu Brands in Black Mountain, NC (2016 - 2017)

  • Prepress Designer at Virginia Tech Printing (2010 - 2011)

Memberships

  • Squarespace Circle Member

Follow along on Insta: @rotanzdesign

AI has taken off this year and it’s admittedly rocked me in a way that’s made me question my love for my career. I’ve shared my thoughts on AI as a graphic designer in my last blog post so I won’t repeat the same things here,
Sharing a logo and website I finished RIGHT before giving birth to my second child (thank you Jenn for handling my “I think I’m in labor!” texts so well 😆) Center of the Earth is a space for healing, education, spiritual guidance,
Life lately 🌿
Sharing a website I designed a while back for a talented local artist, Victoria Skinner. Victoria composes her designs using small cut shapes from books, magazines and other photographic sources that reflect her interests in nature, animals, art hist
✨Edited to add: in no way was this article intended to throw shade at those that use AI. I definitely work with it here and there and it’s oftentimes already baked into the programs we use. This is simply my narrow perspective as a graphic desi
NOW → THEN My business turned 9 this week 🥳, which feels like the perfect time to reintroduce myself! I’m Katie Gillikin (formerly Katie Rotanz), owner and graphic designer behind my one-woman business, Rotanz Design. I design websites
POV: Raising 2 kids, keeping my biz afloat and continuing to search for the ever elusive “balance”. On any given day you can find me nursing my baby 7-8x and then deciding whether nap times will be used for work, cleaning the house, work
My business just turned 8 years old 🥹 and now my office is a nursery. Life comes at you fast! 🙃