Leila Simon Hayes
Photo Credit: Leila Simon Hayes
LEILA SIMON HAYES
Leila [lee-la] is an abstract artist and award-winning designer based in Boston, MA, known for her bold and colorful surface pattern designs. Her work is born from black-and-white ink drawings that she remixes and reimagines into striking patterns, exploring playful scales, rhythmic movement, and unexpected color combinations. Her designs, which embody a balance of precision and improvisation, adorn textiles, wallpaper, homewares, and book covers. Each piece emerges from a meditative, dreamlike space and reflects her curiosity about the universe and respect for the unseen, creating a signature style that surprises and delights.
In addition to her personal art practice, Leila has a storied career as a creative director and graphic designer, collaborating with visionaries to bring their ideas to life in print, galleries, museum exhibitions, and online platforms. As the former Creative Director at ICA/Boston, she played a key role in evolving the museum’s world-class brand. Her portfolio also includes work with esteemed institutions such as Harvard University, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the New Orleans Museum of Art. When she’s not immersed in art and design, Leila enjoys crafting bluesy rock songs with her band, hiking Boston’s woodsy trails, and raising two children with her science-teacher partner.