Who is Shay Pietila?

I am a self-taught visual and graphic designer based in metro Atlanta, GA. I obtained a bachelor’s in media entrepreneurship from Georgia State University in 2020. Creativity has always been my throughline; I taught myself how to code using simple HTML and CSS at the age of 10, and learned to create fan art of my favorite celebrities (big Hannah Montana fan!) in Adobe Photoshop. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit; with my parents’ encouragement, I started a small business in my teens, which led to a freelance career developing brand identities for small businesses. Those early experiments quietly bloomed into a lifelong passion that continues to bring me back to design.

In my work, I’m a typography nerd and love to push the envelope with colorways, composition, and style. Lover of cross-stitch, underground fashion, botanicals, medieval woodcut engravings, gothic architecture and moody Appalachian atmosphere. These influences quietly weave themselves into everything I design.

I am a lover of music in all forms - my fiancé and I keep every concert wristband in a jar and long lists of shows we’ve been to together. I get oddly excited about bulleted to-do lists and perfectly organized files - I like to think that I’m type A where it counts. I have twenty-three tattoos and counting, with dreams of being fully covered one day. My fiancé and partner of twelve years live together with our senior son, Ollie, a rescued yellow lab, in Alpharetta.

Experience

  • August 2024 - February 2026

    • Developed and executed engaging social media content that resulted in a 20% increase in website traffic and 35% increase in followers within the first month

    • Conducted in-depth market research and competitor analysis to identify target audience segments and refine targeting strategies

    • Utilized SEO techniques to improve organic search rankings and increase website visibility on search engines

    • Managed social media accounts and website while creating and ensuring cohesive brand messaging across all digital channels

    • Developed influencer partnerships that increased brand exposure by reaching a wider audience segment.

  • April 2020 to May 2022

    • Directed 10+ concurrent visual projects across social media campaigns, merchandise, and brand identity systems, delivering all assets on time and maintaining cohesive execution across digital and physical touchpoints.

    • Conceptualized, designed, and launched three mission-driven campaigns focused on COVID-19 vaccinations, Pride, and Black Lives Matter, increasing social engagement by 45%.

    • Collaborated cross-functionally via Slack and digital workflow tools to align creative direction across marketing, leadership, and production teams, reducing revision cycles by 25% and improving turnaround time.

    • Managed and mentored a team of 7 designers, improving project efficiency by 20% while fostering creative growth and elevating overall brand quality.

    • Founded and operated a freelance graphic design business for 4 years, partnering with 50+ clients across diverse industries to develop strategic brand identities and marketing assets.

    • Led projects end-to-end — from discovery and brand strategy to final execution — managing contracts, timelines, and deliverables independently.

    • Designed comprehensive visual identity systems, logo suites, social media campaigns, merchandise, and print collateral to strengthen brand positioning and audience engagement.

    • Managed multiple client accounts simultaneously while maintaining a 95%+ on-time delivery rate and cultivating long-term client relationships that generated repeat business and referrals.

Education

Georgia State University

B.A. in Media Entrepreneurship, Aug. 2020