What We Do
Here at Evil Eye Creative Studio (EECS), we are passionate about visual storytelling and creating unique experiences. Our work draws on art and design resources of the past, but we also keep an eye on sustainable design trends for the future. Our goal is always to create something new and interesting that will stand the test of time! Our team is also experienced with marketing and advertising, particularly through social media and email.
EECS consults for a variety of schools, small businesses, and non-profit organizations regarding their brand identity, graphic design, communications strategies, and social media marketing. Some notable organizations/projects we have worked with are the Miss Illinois Organization, the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools, the National Rural Education Association, and the I Am A Rural Teacher national advocacy campaign funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Where We Came From
EECS Owner + Founder Hailey Winkleman is the main “eye” of EECS – really, it is her eye in the logo! She was born and raised in rural Illinois, which informed her passion for rural advocacy.
Hailey has two degrees from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale – a BFA in Communication Design and a BA in Art History with a minor in Classical Civilization. Outside of her education, she has a lot of experience working in the communications field with non-profit and education-focused organizations, particularly rural schools advocacy groups. Hailey has been featured by Marquis’ Who’s Who in America, Corporate Vision, Canvas Rebel, the Rethinking-EDU Podcast, the Secret Origins Podcast, and more. When she is not working, she likes traveling the world or napping with her dogs, Athena, Nike, and Calliope.
The question is asked a lot: why Evil Eye? In older societies, seeing was thought of more along the lines of touching – it was active, not passive. You could therefore affect other people by “touching” them with your eyes. To protect yourself from someone doing harm to you with their eyes, you might wear a symbol called an “evil eye.” Despite their ominous-sounding name, these charms are a positive symbol that can still be seen in many places today! Hailey was drawn to this idea through her art history and classics backgrounds; she too believes that seeing is an active process, if more metaphorically than our ancestors thought. Therefore, the EECS brand evolved as our own Evil Eye charm, warding off bad design and protecting clients from unfair dealings.