“Gillian is a spark plug. I’ve known her my whole life and she’s always been a crazy blond beanpole of positive energy. Having grown up together, I was curious about what it would be like working with Gillian on hearty Magazine, but I was blown away by her professionalism and creativity from the moment we started. Her work is clean and radiates calm, but her personality is loud and kooky. It works for her. Branding, illustration, design—she’s my go to girlie. I wouldn’t trust anyone else. She has my hearty.”
- Hana, Founder and Editor-at-heart, hearty Magazine

The Proof

1. Some crazy mushrooms that sprouted overnight at my mom’s place in Kits. They’re taking over the whole terrace! Waaaaah!!
2. My Farfar (‘Father’s father’ in Danish) came to Canada from Denmark and made a living as a painter. He had this velvet portrait done by another artist on Vancouver Island that he traded one of his landscape paintings for. It used to be in our bedroom but he was a bit creepy in the dark with those eyes, so we moved him into the dining area.
3. When I’m not at the office at my desk, this is one of many workstations at home. The guitar thing on the left sitting on the chair is a ‘charango’ from Ecuador. The body is an armadillo shell. Weird!
4. The view out the window next to the work zone, which proves to be great colour inspiration, especially on those late summer evenings.
5. Something I made recently, just for fun. It’s true, some things are so beautiful they make me cry. Cheeseball? Yes, yes I am.
6. My hand on a road-trip to Portland, with dirty finger nails. I just stopped biting them which is nice.
7. My man and I eat a lot of tofu and spinach salads. We put spinach in everything. Cilantro is a recent addition the mix.
8. Doing some sparkler painting with Phil, my wingman. We like to hang out and do creative stuff especially if it involves weird outfits, dancing and wine.

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?
I live in the Cambie area, right near the King Edward stop on the Canada Line. I have about 6 friends who live within a four-block radius, which is nice. This neighborhood is really great, lots of young families and all the amenities at our doorstep.

What do you do and where?
I’m a graphic designer by trade. My day job is at a small marketing and design firm called The Communications Group. After 5pm and on weekends I do freelance work and fulfill my duties as Hearty Magazine’s Art Director. Just trying to cram in as much as possible at all times.

What are you working on?
Right now I’m working on a re-branding project for a youth focused non-profit, and designing an identity system for a public relations company called Gloss PR. I’m also working on putting together Hearty’s first print issue with my friend and the magazine’s founder, Hana May. I love meeting new people and working on projects with groups in all disciplines. Being open to all types of work keeps things fresh and challenging.

Where can we find your work? 
My portfolio site is www.gilliandamborg.com. Hearty Magazine is at www.heartymagazine.com, which showcases some of my writing via my blog, feature and news articles, as well as art direction.

Any other links you want us to mention?
www.tcg.ca – the company I work for.
My main squeeze sources some cool things that are neat to look at. You can find them here www.firstboner.tumblr.com and here www.thephazer.com.