Larissa Pickens

Hi there!

I’ve been working in design for 20+ years, currently as a studio owner, advisor, and mentor. I also have a thing for fragrances.

design studio

I started my career in book publishing at Chronicle Books, which sparked my passion for storytelling through design. Over time, I wanted to explore beyond the page, which led me to Parsons’ Design & Technology MFA.


While I still love beautiful printed pieces, digital offers entirely new ways to communicate and build deeper experiences. After graduating, I opened my design studio and have worked with clients ranging from Calvin Klein, Condé Nast, Scholastic, and Estée Lauder to early-stage start-ups.

Today, we focus on women’s healthcare, beauty, and lifestyle brands, offering branding, packaging, and digital design along with ongoing creative partnerships.

→ FLOAT DESIGN

  • “They immersed themselves in our brand aesthetic and culture to deliver the right visual message to our customers. The result was highly engaging design that matched our brand identity and helped convert customers.”
    Adama Sesay
    Ouidad
  • “Larissa and the entire Float Design team are a true extension of our team. They understand the identity of our brand, while providing creative input and ideas to really help us elevate our design materials.”
    Casey Tarnas
    SMP Pharmacy Solutions
  • “Their work, characterized by its aesthetic excellence and attention to detail, has enhanced our brand’s visual appeal and has been pivotal in our market recognition.”
    Melissa Thompson
    BELLAME Beauty
  • “Our partnership spanned across digital, social and mobile and the results were high-quality designs that drove some of our most successful campaigns to-date! ”
    Jessica Caridad
    Laura Geller

fragrances + candles

Fragrance has always been one of my favorite indulgences, from admiring my mom’s perfume bottles to visual design for fragrance brands such as Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, and Calvin Klein.

In that role, I had the opportunity to trial new scents for fragrance development. Having a small team eagerly sniffing perfume samples on my forearm while discussing the fragrance journey intrigued me further.

This led me to a perfume-making class in Paris, creating the fragrance blog Everfumed, and launching my candle line, which has been featured in The Drew Barrymore Show and House Beautiful. Apartment Therapy, Forbes, and InStyle.

Named Fernweh Editions after the German word for a longing for faraway places, each candle set or “edition” is inspired by the scents of a specific place, from the snowy forests of Alaska to the sunny gardens of the Mediterranean.

→ FERNWEH EDITIONS

design mentoring

I love mentoring new design talent and helping mid-career designers figure out their next steps.

It’s truly an honor to get invited into someone’s hopes and dreams to help them strategize and get a new perspective, or at least learn from my mistakes.

→ ADP List

design advisor

As an advisor for FURI Sport, I’ve worked with co-founders Erick Mathelier and Michelle Spiro since the early days, witnessing the brand grow from an idea to a funded start-up ready to make the world of tennis more inclusive.


I’m excited to help shape FURI’s future and, as the team says, “Dream Big. Let It Fly.”

→ FURI SPORT

get in touch!