While working as a cashier at Home Depot in 2018, I learned from a customer that my name means “uncle” in Albanian.
I know it as a portmanteau of my grandmother’s name, Daisy, and my mother’s name, Jalana.
Hello! My name is Daija. Day-juh (not dye-yuh, which is “uncle” (dajë), and a common mispronunciation)
A fine arts major who late-night student-centered her way to learning Photoshop and Illustrator, I stepped into ad land by creating spec art for the brands I loved. Somewhere along the way, tech and design fully replaced charcoal and sketchpads (though I still draw occasionally). After a brief creative fellowship at Campbell Ewald, I landed a role as a tinkering intern at Doner Detroit in the summer of 2021.
I’ve spent the past four years at the agency as an Art Director, primarily working on McDonald’s as the lead visual creative.
I’ve pixel-pushed many fry cartons to scale and pondered whether the shadows on Double Cheeseburgers and McDoubles were “too gray.” I’ve created 35+ OOH boards for a single summer beverage campaign and filmed a previz concept with my cousin for McD’s TikTok.
Somewhere between all that, I found time to whale watch in the Pacific Northwest and boat in the Caribbean.
Now, I am shifting my creative focus from visual storytelling to the written word, with the belief that some worlds are more verdant when imagined in the mind’s eye.
When I’m not in the office, I can usually be found at a weeknight movie sprinkling nacho powder on my popcorn or at a local library writing young adult fiction.
How to reach me:
Email: ginyarddaija95@gmail.com