Sydney based Hayley O’Conor is making a name for herself in the illustration and design scene. Her work is very different for each creative application.

Hayley’s graphic design style is very simple and clean, while her illustrations are bright, fun and inspired by fashion and music. I really love Hayley’s textures and patterns created with a mix of watercolours and pencils.

And it’s great to see Hayley be recognised for her talent – the lucky thing is in this year’s Semi-Permanent Book 1 and has been featured in Yen Magazine and Fashion Journal.

Keep an eye out for this chickee! She’s now a full time graphic designer for Hurley Clothing and is available for freelance illustration projects. Visit Hayley’s website and Loop profile.

How have you got to where you are today?

After high school I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I enrolled to complete a Design Certificate IV at Northland Design Studies in Melbourne.

Here I discovered that I loved illustration and graphic design, so then went into the graphic design course at Box Hill TAFE. I was drawing just for fun in my spare time. I started to post my artwork on my Facebook and had such a great reaction that I created a website, and started to enter competitions and promote my work.

I was then published in the Semi Permanent 2011 Book and my work really started to be noticed. From this, I was offered a job at Hurley – which is where I am today.

In a few words, describe yourself…

Creative, ambitious and quiet achiever.

What are you spending your time on at the moment?

I just finished my first line of t-shirts for Hurley that will be in stores for summer 2012! And I’m just about to start Hi Summer as well as trying to come up with a piece to enter in the Toni&Guy/Yen Young Artists Award.

Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?

Usually if I get into a creative block, I try to look though blogs and design books for ideas. I also try to get advice from my colleagues.

And if all else fails, I go to the beach on my lunch break and come back fresh.

What or who inspires you?

My biggest inspiration right now is Oracle Fox blog. She finds amazing fashion inspiration. Also, old story books or animal and flower books from op shops.

What are you most proud of?

Being in the Semi-Permanent book this year.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Artist, Dancer, Fashion Designer, Surfer, Snowboarder or even Singer.