Meet The Artist Behind Glen Ellyn's Snapchat Selfies

If you’ve ever used Snapchat, you know one of the best features of the image messaging app is using and discovering new geofilters.

Geofilters are localized graphic designs that can be placed on top of photos taken in Snapchat. They’re tied to specific places, and they can offer users a glimpse into the personality of a neighborhood, village or city.

If you think Snapchat has hired a dedicated team of graphic designers to investigate and illustrate cities around the world to make geofilters, you’re wrong. Geofilters are mostly created by local artists on their own time. Their designs have to pass Snapchat’s approval process before they can be slid onto your snap.

We’ve tracked down a few of these unsung artists to ask about the secrets behind making geofilters for a top mobile app company. Lauren Hookham is just one of the artists behind the designs in front of your selfies.

Name: Lauren Hookham
Age: 22
Hometown: Glen Ellyn
Geofilter location: Glen Ellyn
Design experience: Started with T-shirt design in high school, became design chair for sorority house, took Photoshop classes. Graphic design has been an interest, but not a career.
Job: Stylist for Trunk Club

1. What made you want to create a Snapchat Geofilter?
I just kind of saw them popping up at school. My friends from college had one for their suburbs, and I found out you could submit one for your own. I thought it would be neat if Glen Ellyn had one, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

More in this series:

• Meet The Artist Behind Woodridge and Lisle’s Snapchat Selfies
• Meet The Artist Behind Elmhurst’s Snapchat Selfies
• Meet The Artist Behind La Grange and Hinsdale’s Snapchat Selfies
• Meet An Artist Behind Naperville’s Snapchat Selfies

2. What was the process for submitting your design?
It was a super easy process. I just created something with Photoshop, and I went on the website and submitted my design. I had to map out a location of where it would show up geographically. I heard back I think a couple months later that it had been accepted.

3. What inspired your geofilter design?
I used the Lake Ellyn boat house. When you think of Glen Ellyn, that’s the thing that comes to mind. It was a no-brainer. The font was inspired by the Glen Ellyn movie theater. I thought of those iconic locations that Glen Ellyn is known for, and I based the design off those.

4. What was it like to see your geofilter come to life on Snapchat?
It was kind of crazy, since I hadn’t heard back in a couple months, I figured my submission was declined. I got an email to an account I don’t ever use, and they sent the acceptance letter there. When I looked back, it said “Your filter has been accepted and will be activated.” I was shocked. I didn’t think it would actually happen. I had friends texting me “Your design showed up, you can see it all around Glen Ellyn!” It was a shock because it was something fun on the side, and I didn’t take it seriously.

5. Has being a geofilter artist come with any fame or fortune?
No fame or fortune, I’m still pretty poor over here. It was cool to have people text me and be like “I can’t believe you designed this.” But no fame or fortune yet, but hopefully in the future.

6. How does it feel to know people in the community are putting your artwork on their selfies?
It’s a cool feeling, I guess it’s kind of hard to describe since it’s such a new technology, and I don’t know, it’s just kind of neat. Somebody tweeted about it thinking Snapchat knew about the lake and Lake Ellyn, and they think people are researching these small towns.

Know anyone else who has created local Snapchat geofilters? Email morgan.searles@patch.com.