010: Frances Yllana of AIGA Dallas/Fort Worth

Meet Frances Yllana—a branding sage, community builder, design operations leader, and the kind of person who’ll rip apart a hotel sink to save a wedding ring. Over a decade of service with AIGA shaped her journey from volunteer communicator to a civic tech dream job leading design operations. Expect heartfelt stories, civic design in action, and the reminder that taking things apart isn’t always about breaking—they’re just making space for someone else.Key TakeawaysCold outreach can spark a decade of growth—Frances started with a simple “Can I help?” and ended creating a chapter-wide strategy.Leadership isn’t about titles—it’s connection, surveys to figure out hugging styles, and carrying bananas for fun.Retreat rituals make the chapter culture—whether it’s portable props or deconstructing plumbing, those are the memories that stick.You can’t fire volunteers—but you can empower them. Boards teach systems thinking and collaboration.Civic impact scales—Design for Democracy turned creative energy into change, from posters to get-out-the-vote campaigns.Volunteering builds access—AIGA introduced Frances to opportunities, mentors, and eventual design operations leadership.Episode Chapters02:08 – From zero to communications chair: Frances cold-called AIGA DFW and landed the communications director role—then VP—all in one year.03:47 – Membership boost via programming: She and the president doubled events and tripsled control—membership jumped from 70 to 150.05:44 – Retreats change everything: Her first leadership retreat “opened the all-access pass”—introductions, inspiration, and belonging.10:19 – Huggers vs side-huggers survey: At the Philadelphia retreat, she collected field notes to see who was a big-bear hugger—and used it as an ice-breaker.12:21 – That inflated banana: A strange prop at a presidents panel turned into her signature retreat sidekick.14:46 – Sink disassembly saves the day: When a friend lost her ring in the bathroom, Frances disassembled the sink—no tools—found the ring in the trash. 18:09 – Leadership lessons: you can’t fire volunteers: AIGA taught her humility—collaboration matters more than control.20:23 – Stepping stones to design ops: Her board leadership paved a path to build systems and structures—naturally shifted into design operations.26:25 – Design for Democracy impact: She led “get-out-the-vote” poster campaigns and civic design projects that made voting accessible and inspiring.30:43 – AIGA opened new doors: A reference from AIGA leadership connected her to her current DesignOps role at Coforma—design, civic tech, operations, all in one.34:38 – AIGA is about belonging: Whether couch-hopping in new cities or inside jokes over mispronounced names, the AIGA network is home.About Our GuestFrances Yllana is a design and community strategist turned Principal Manager of Design Operations at Coforma, leading civic-tech design with empathy and structure. Her decade-long AIGA journey—from communicator to President’s Council Chair and co-chair of Design for Democracy—fuelled both personal growth and professional evolution. FeaturingGuest Frances Yllana, connect on LinkedInHost Erik Cargill, connect on LinkedInHost Rachel Elnar, connect on LinkedInSupport the ShowTheme music: Loose Ends by Silver Ships Plastic OceansProduced by Chapter 2 MediaSubscribe to the Together by Design newsletter for more community-building and podcast episode updatesSponsored by: Able Made, The Original Off Pitch Soccer Style: shop nowSponsored by: Draplin Design Company, check us out!Sponsored by: The People's Graphic Design Archive: browse, contribute, and research