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Elleyce Pahang is an associate art director at We Are Royale, a design-driven, creative production company with offices in LA and Seattle – where Elleyce lives today. A designer and artist with a passion for storytelling and connecting people, her skills cover everything from UX and UI design to illustration, game development, photography and more.

As a child, her stories could appear from anywhere – a marble on the floor, a clay animal… – imagining worlds where her ‘terribly shy’ voice could flourish. Art empowered her to find that voice in the real world and build bridges with others, many of which have become lifelong friendships. “I never knew I would end up where I am today,” she says. “However, in retrospect, it feels like it would’ve been the only natural thing to do.”

An early interest in comic strips, creating stories and “silly pictures” with heartfelt messages to make her friends laugh, caused her to fall in love with the art of storytelling and its ability to materialise the imagination and understand others. She eventually discovered graphic design, a field seemingly made just for her. “I love that my job is all about finding ways to effectively communicate messages in a creative way.”

Growing up as a Filipino American, Elleyce was endlessly inspired by the Philippines’ beautiful islands, its colourful cuisine and charming cultural apparel. But working in a creative field was not common culturally, and she felt the pressure to go into a medical field and seek the stability and success her parents wished her to have in the States.

“Becoming a designer was just not seen as an option for me,” she explains. “So, when I made the leap to study design in college, it was incredibly emotional and difficult for me, yet it was so freeing and life-changing. I’m glad I made that jump.”

Just as Elleyce began to study at the University of Washington, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, throwing more doubt into the path she had taken during a difficult time for the family. “I felt so helpless and started to question my choices. Here I was, studying typography and compositions while my mother was battling for her life.

“However, there was one class that helped me realise there’s more ways to help others heal. One of the introductory interaction design classes involved interviewing a participant and designing a product to help them. In my group, our participant was my mother. Hearing her life stories and then creating a prototype of an app design to aid her was a healing experience for the both of us. That experience deepened my passion for design and how it can be used to help others.”

When Elleyce was a senior in college, We Are Royale had a booth at the university’s design career fair. Though still a very nervous person, having failed every internship interview she attended the year prior, she mustered up the courage to go up to the booth and did away with the formal approach she had been taught, instead simply talking honestly about her work and what she loved to do. “That took away a lot of pressure from that experience and I felt like I was just being myself.” 

We Are Royale’s managing director Beck Henderer-Peña listened intently and took interest in her creative work, leading to an internship, and subsequently a full-time position. “They saw something in me and believed in me before I even believed in myself, and they continue to support and believe in me,” she says, now having spent six years with the company. “I learn and grow so much every year I’ve worked here and it has been a dream to work on projects I never imagined I would ever be a part of.”  

One of Elleyce’s first projects at We Are Royale was a project for Artolution. She helped design the UI and UX of the app, which used AR to bring a mural of illustrations created by refugee children to life. “Seeing how excited the children were when they saw their drawings animated really warmed my heart and reaffirmed how much I love what I’m doing.”

Lots of her work exists in this non-traditional space, often using emerging new technologies and new processes to help people interact with products. “This often entails interesting challenges to solve,” she says. “‘Art on the Mart’ was fun. Designing for a projection on an entire building with a ton of windows was an interesting challenge.” 

Part of this passion was borne from a love of video game design, seeing how games can transport the player into a virtually interactive world. “There are so many interesting game mechanics out there that make you reflect on the world. I love how interaction design shapes our world and how we interact with our surroundings. I frequently think about how to streamline things or create interesting experiences, whether that’s how to make my living space more efficient, or finding a creative group activity to do with my friends. I really enjoy observing my surroundings and finding ways to make delightful experiences based on my observations.”

Elleyce is continually learning new programmes and finding new mediums to work in, and aims to become a director who can make time to “try a bit of everything”. The ever-emerging innovative ways to tell meaningful stories provide an interesting bounty of opportunities for her, but she shares that they do come with a fair share of frustration too. At the top of this list is artificial intelligence, which she believes has taken a disappointing turn.

“It’s disheartening to see how much things have changed in such a short time. Growing up, I looked up to so many artists who posted their work online, now their work is being used to generate a ton of art, often without their consent. My only hope is that AI art won’t discourage artists and that the love for creating art from the heart will continue on.”

Above: WAR's Overwatch 2 x World of Warcraft Collab

Protecting your love for your craft is one of the most valuable lessons Elleyce has learned thus far. Though she admits it’s difficult to nurture and protect that passion when the wider industry is suffering. “That is why, as an art director, I’m constantly thinking about how to provide a friendly environment that cultivates inspiration and allows people to work on things they enjoy,” she says. “I want to create a fun and inspiring space for others, and that starts with having constant, open communication on how to better curate projects for everyone.”

At We Are Royale, she is surrounded by likeminded creatives – personable and thoughtful creative directors who provide a confidence and warmth that she too aspires to emulate and bring to the team. “Honestly, I really look up to my coworkers,” she says. “They’re the ones I interact with the most and they never fail to inspire me. To name a few, Eduardo Guisandes, Loren Judah, and Brien Holman have been big role models to me.”

Being able to communicate well with these co-workers, especially when designing and art directing on multiple projects simultaneously, is vital for Elleyce. In these circumstances, like when she was juggling a [Disney] Lorcana project with ‘the biggest project she’s led in her career’ – 70 deliveries in 28 days for Final Fantasy XIV’s Dawntrail campaign – she looks to continuously get temperature checks from her collaborators to keep the project running smoothly.

“Figuring out how to make everything as organised as possible as an art director and designing deliverables, all under a tight deadline was a big learning experience.”

And even when she’s not hard at work, Elleyce still finds herself bringing people together. She often plans fun events for her friends, having made a D&D-inspired Mafia game and regularly playing co-op titles with her partner and pals. She also enjoys getting crafty and sharing her creations with others, making wooden and PCB ornaments, clay earrings, hand-drawn maps for D&D oneshots and custom Magic: The Gathering (MTG) cards. “Last Christmas, I made a little animated comic for my partner. This year, I surprised him with a MTG mat with custom art I made on it.

“I also love coming up with projects with my best friend, like making an egg AR filter together,” she adds. “Some things I had a lot of fun doing on my own include making a short story webcomic and a lampshade out of Jenga pieces! Other projects I have in store include designing a few story-driven games, maybe some sewing projects in memory of my grandma who was a seamstress, and then trying out more experimental portraiture photography!”

While she doesn’t have much time to do as much today, Elleyce was at one time a freelance photographer, and found it a complementary skillset to her day-to-day. “It is interesting how what I loved to take photos of is similar to what I care about most at my job, which is the people and fostering joy.”

Conversely, it’s the joy and love that others have bestowed upon Elleyce that provides her greatest motivation. “I am where I am today because of the people who supported and loved me for who I am. And I hope, if anything, the work and things I do in life inspires someone along the way.

“I want to become a director that makes others feel welcomed and happy to work on projects, regardless of the final creative,” she adds. “I want to figure out new methods to cultivate joy in both my work and personal life. I’d also love to work on more user experience projects that help others. It is my life mission to create delightful experiences for others, so I hope that whatever I do, it helps others enjoy life more. It has already been a dream job working with We Are Royale, so I can’t wait to see what else is in store!”