246: Career Conversations: The architect turned food illustrator

"When I knew I was dyslexic.. and I read about it, everything made sense. Every condition that we have makes us unique and special."

Rocio Egio, food illustrator and artist, has an infectious energy and attitude to life.

She signs off all her emails "delightfully dyslexic" and tells Elisa Roche in this episode of the Career Conversations series: "All the capacity that I have now is because I have dyslexia. It's not something negative."

Rocio's career started out on a very different path. She describes herself as "a super nerd" at school.

Although she always wanted to be an artist, she says "everyone was telling me I had to study for a proper career, so I did architecture."

Those years were happy ones, and she says, training to be an architect has had an effect on the work she produces today: "It was a different path to arrive at the same place."

After a stint as a graphic designer, she moved into food illustration and has won big commissions with the likes of the New York Times and the Washington Post.

In this episode, Rocio reveals how she goes about pricing her work, why she enjoys the flexibility of being a freelancer, and sets out the process she goes through from commission through to delivery.

And she has some tips on how to smooth over the less creative side of a being a food illustrator.

Rocio Egio, Food Illustrator

Originally from the Mediterranean coast of Alicante, Rocío Egío is a curious architect who speaks through illustration and design.

Dyslexia is her superpower, she transforms the complexity of the common place in exhilarating visual simplicity.

Rocío’s creations are filled with positive messages that inspire joy and are recognisable by their geometry compositions and vibrant colours.

Living and working between Alicante and Lausanne, she uses visual language to burst life into projects, brands, ideas and stories.

Among her most recent clients are The New York Times,Chronicle Books, The Washington Post and The United Nations.