“Making it” as a working artist is a loaded, petrifying concept for many of us. Doing so can take a litany of different forms, with countless dips and bobs and swerves along the way. For the Portland, Oregon-based illustrator Daniel Miller, this singular journey has been anything but direct, but it ultimately led him to what many designers would describe as a dream job.
While you might not know his name, you certainly know Miller’s work. Anyone with taste who’s set foot in a grocery store over the last few years would, since he’s the visual mastermind behind the boutique tinned seafood darling, Fishwife.
Founders Becca Millstein and Caroline Goldfarb have been working with Miller since before the company even had a name. Since Fishwife’s inception in 2020, he’s been central to building the brand from the ground up, making his connection to the company much more intimate and enmeshed than the typical illustrator-client relationship. He sprinkles in some freelance editorial work for the likes of The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Dwell, but otherwise, Fishwife is it. And get this: It’s his first-ever packaging design job.
