Five Minutes with … Issie Loseby
At Women in Design Day 2025: Moments of Change—an annual event dedicated to fostering community, celebration, and education among women in the design industry in Aotearoa New Zealand—we were joined by Issie Loseby, visual storyteller extraordinaire at Scribbee, who made a graphic recording of the event.
In this interview we profile Issie’s creative practice and her work from Women in Design Day 2025.
Issie, tell us about your career background:
After obtaining a Bachelor in Creative Media Production with a minor in Illustration, I found myself slogging through decidedly UN-creative roles for four years. I fell into tech consulting out of a need for work, but always tried to shadow the design teams (and occasionally worked with them!). Eventually, I decided that I needed a change in order to thrive – and Scribbee was born! Granted, starting my own freelance service in a niche field (graphic recording) may not have been the smartest thing… but I’m excited to see where it leads. Regardless of the outcome, at least this time, I’ve got the right head-wind in my sails.
Tell us about the studio you work in:
I primarily provide services in graphic recording, or live event illustration. I attend conferences, talks, workshops and more, and translate the ideas of the day into visuals that inform and delight. I also deal with illustrative translations of complex topics or dull documents, turning them into rich pictures (just not in front of an audience!). I also do general illustration work, specialising in brand identity visuals and character design. I am currently trying to learn surface pattern design on the side!
What does your design process and philosophy look like?
For the live work, the process is very different to the usual design philosophy. There’s a little time for research, but almost no time for refinement or testing – you’re right there in the thick of it! I find this work is less about the pure design, and more about listening. Listening to the speakers, the audience, the vibes, and holding that information in my head until I can translate it visually… all while the information keeps flooding in! It’s exhausting and thrilling at the same time, and requires a kind of present mindset that I am still learning to hone.
What does your typical work day look like?
When I’m not at live gigs or translating concepts, I’m thinking about building my (still very new) brand, content library, and social presence. I want to find ways to make people smile, make people think, and make people feel something outside of the social media doom-scroll fatigue.
What’s one thing that you would like all of your clients to know?
Since what I offer may be new to some, I am happy to write reverse briefs and answer questions, but communication is super key. Once the show starts, it’s all go! No time for design choices after, with the exception of minor edits for delivery. Live event illustration is not about capturing EVERYTHING, but capturing the essence. What people latch onto, ask questions about, or find memorable. I am channeling the audience, so what I capture and what you feel should be captured may differ – but anything we can work out beforehand makes for smooth sailing.
What are your favourite creative tools?
I work on an iPad, primarily in Procreate. On occasion I use Canva for social media, but dabble in all the Adobe products. Recently though, I’ve been learning Affinity, trying to get a bit of breathing room from our Adobe masters. So far, it’s really good! Highly recommend to anyone wanting an excuse to get away from subscription software and AI data scraping. I enjoy Procreate for the fluidity of it, but it can lack the polish required at times.
What are your favourite types of projects to work on?
I love education and mental health based work – essentially, people! After working for so long in the world of tech, I’ve really been craving that human-to-human connection, and helping people to learn about a topic, or about themselves, really matters to me. I’m particularly fond of topics surrounding neurodiversity, and helping it be better understood.
What project are you most proud of?
I’m proud of myself for starting Scribbee, even though it’s a risky time to do so. The scariest things are often the most worth doing.
Do you have any advice about our industry for emerging designers or career changers?
Not yet, seeing as how I am one!
I’m learning every day, but I would suggest trying a challenge, like 50 coffees with people in 30 days. It can be embarrassing to put yourself out there, but it’s totally worth it – even if just to reconnect with people you haven’t in a while! To quote Welcome To Nightvale, “You will meet a beautiful stranger. Everyone is beautiful and you know almost none of them.”
That, and don’t be tempted to let generative AI (GenAI) do the heavy lifting. It might seem helpful now, but skills like brainstorming, creative thinking, problem solving, and even basic tools will deteriorate fast if you don’t use them. Just like any muscle! I learned this the hard way with illustration, relying too much on references when the deadlines came up. I found afterward, that it was a lot harder to just… draw!
Guess I had some advice after all, heh.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Oh… how much time do you have? I am a HUGE fan of Studio Ghibli and Cartoon Saloon, specifically the art styles of Tom Moore. I love to look at old picture books for inspo, and of course, the good ol’ Pinterest boards, haha. I love colour and simplicity, even though I’m still rediscovering my style.
Where can people connect with you?
On Scribee, which is perpetually a work in progress.
LinkedIn as Issie Loseby or Scribbee, and instagram as @scribbee.nz (or @eissibee for my more nerdy art bits and bobs).
