EMMA
SCHONENBERG
Emma learned her craft at the renowned design school in her home city of San Salvador. After graduating, she did stints in advertising, apparel, decorative homegoods working within both large companies and entrepreneurial start-ups. She joined the team at a USAID-funded program that sponsored design initiatives including within El Salvador and was also invited to work on a program in Iraq.
Although she was loving her job, in 2006 she discovered that she was feeling pull towards a new direction:
"SURFACE PATTERN
DESIGN"
This new discipline within the design world was particularly attractive to her and she pulled from her years of graphic design to develop her style. Since then, she has travelled globally to attend trade shows and sold to many fashion and accessory houses as well as sectors such as party goods (her first client!) and dinnerware. Her designs can be seen on items such as umbrellas, jigsaw puzzles and wall art, although a standout moment remains seeing her work on the runways of New York Fashion Week.
Emma remains inspired by nature and references from her travels. After years of teaching at local design schools, including a Surface Design curriculum course for graduating students, she now offers short classes online, wanting to share her knowledge and passion.