Staff Interview—Ally Woodring, Designer and Creator

Written by Abigail Portwood

I interviewed Ally Woodring, a Junior at UO. Ally is a designer for Align Magazine. She’s artistic, creative and adaptable. She designs different layouts according to Align’s quarterly themes.

What is your favorite project you’ve worked on?

Ally: I think my favorite layout I’ve made so far has been the “Fever Dream” from the Fall issue this year. I really liked the colors and the way the design turned out.

How did you become passionate about design?

Ally: I started designing when I was a sophomore in high school for yearbook. I was my school’s editor, so I got really into doing the covers and experimenting with different platforms for designing.

What’s your favorite part about working with Align?

Ally: I really like that there is always good communication between my design editor and the head editors. I always get multiple rounds of good feedback and have the opportunity to talk through my designs. I think it’s very helpful to see the other perspectives on my work.

How do you see design as a part of your future?

Ally: My dream is to design or shoot content for a well-known fashion magazine like Vogue or Cosmopolitan. I’d be happy working in the creative field in general!

What does design mean to you?

Ally: Designing for me is something that brings me joy and acts as a type of release of all of my creative energy. I think you can really express yourself through your work and that’s what I love about it.

What is your dream project to design?

Ally: I’m really into Avant-Garde fashion, so I think it would be cool to make multiple spreads covering a shoot like that.

How do you find inspiration?

Ally: I get a lot of inspiration from social media—mainly Pinterest—but I also draw inspiration from everything around me in my life as well as from projects in my art classes.

Do you find any challenges while designing?

Ally: I think the biggest challenges are when I want to do something or have a really cool idea, but lack the knowledge to get the design how I want it. But honestly I think it’s a never ending learning process with all of Adobe’s platforms. I watch a lot of tutorials in order to learn new things constantly, and I have been working with these platforms for years.

What is your favorite tool to use to design?

Ally: I love Procreate, Canva for infographics, and all of the Adobe platforms. I use InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere for video editing. I use my iPad and Apple Pencil for sketching as well.

Thank you, Ally Woodring for sharing some insight on your position. We look forward to seeing your upcoming design work