Annie Herzig is no stranger to the natural products industry: she spent eight years as an art director for Whole Foods Market. She is now an independent illustrator, designer and letterer. Through her work, she aims to bring visual excitement and whimsy to everyday life. Beyond that, she strives to connect on a deeper level with people of all walks of life by sharing vulnerability and human experience through art. For Natural Products Business School at Expo West 2017, she did just that.

Tell us about the beginnings of your illustration career. What sparked your passion to create? 

Annie Herzig: Ever since I was little, I loved to draw and paint. It was always a passion for me, and something that felt natural and exciting. In college I nearly majored in zoology, but switched the week before school started because I realized I just had to pursue art, and would regret it if I didn't. So I majored in fine arts with a concentration in illustration and design.

What were you most excited about for illustrating the Natural Products Business School? 

AH: The challenge of bringing words and ideas to life in a visual way for people to more easily remember and connect with both in the moment and later on. I hope it resonates with visual learners like myself.

AH: I am immediately drawn to that too. Yes, I have worked with companies on their packaging. I’m currently in the midst of projects with Jackson’s Honest and Allegro Coffee.

What do you love most about the food industry and working with natural products brands? 

AH: I love food! I’ve been working with food companies for many years now and being quite a foodie myself, I personally get excited for new, interesting, and delicious products. I love helping to get them into customers’ hands through unique packaging and signage.

AH: Brands make that emotional connection through beautiful design and messaging that strikes a personal chord. Design stirs up feelings and emotions, not to mention visual associations, and when you connect that with something that you can touch and taste and enjoy, it makes for a really special product, one that people come back for again and again.