About

Rotanz Design

est. 2017

Katie Rotanz Gillikin

I’ve been working as a professional graphic designer for over 10 years and find joy in working with local small businesses to create or elevate their visual brand. My expertise lies in crafting distinctive logos, designing Squarespace websites, and providing continuous design support for businesses located in Asheville and Western North Carolina.

My style is minimal, striking and memorable. I believe in simplicity both in design and process. I know that a lot of people have never worked with a designer before so I strive for an easy, fun experience that gives my clients confidence in their brand. My goal is for my clients to be noticed so they can share their gifts and talents with the wider community.

If you’re in need of a new brand or website, I’d love to connect! Reach out here.

Education

  • Virginia Tech: BFA in Visual Communication Design

  • AB Tech Community College: Continuing Education, Digital Media and Web Development courses

Work Experience

  • Art Director / Designer at Market Connections in Asheville, NC (2012 - 2016)

  • Art Director / Designer at Kudzu Brands in Black Mountain, NC (2016 - 2017)

  • Prepress Designer at Virginia Tech Printing (2010 - 2011)

Memberships

  • AIGA Asheville (American Institute of Graphic Arts)

  • Squarespace Circle Member

Fun Facts

  • Rotanz is my maiden name and keeping it as my business name has been a perfect way to honor a huge part of my identity.

  • I played on the Varsity Women's Lacrosse Team at Virginia Tech with my sister, Ryan.

  • I’m pretty obsessed with gardening.

  • I’m a mama to a sweet girlie named Averie.

  • My husband and I met at AB Tech while taking an Intro to HTML class.

  • I moved to Asheville in 2012 and my first job here was waitressing at The Bier Garden.

Follow along on Insta: @rotanzdesign

An update from WNC 🫶🏼
After Hurricane Helene, the true impact of the destruction has finally set in. So many lives were lost, homes were ruined or washed away and the infrastructure has been severely damaged. Our hearts are breaking in Western North Carolina as we absorb
Slowly getting around to reposting blog posts from my old website. I wrote this one back in 2019 and spent some time editing it to make sure it was still relevant. I actually didn’t have to change much because these have been my go-to tools for
Creating a new nursery means I got the boot and now have a (lightly gated) living room office. Security measures will need to ramp up in the near future, but this is working for now! 🖥️🌱🌼
You may not have seen my sneaky announcement in my last post, but I’m pregnant! Due with another baby girl this winter 🌸 While I’m not on maternity leave quite yet, I’m not able to accept any new clients at the moment as I slow dow
Photo dump: work edition! The past two years I’ve been a little less active here on my business account because it turns out priorities shift HARD after having a baby. In 2022 I was pregnant, had a baby, spent lots of time at home with my swee
Had the honor of moderating last week’s @aigaasheville panel: Lessons Learned the Hard Way. Thanks for the fun and insightful conversations and to everyone that came out !😎 📷: @hornsbycreative