Behind the Curtain: The Creative Mind Shaping Chappell Roan
Ami Khawaja sits down with Ramisha Sattar - Chappell Roan’s creative director - and delves into the process behind her groundbreaking work.
At just 25 years old, Ramisha Sattar is redefining what it means to be a multi-hyphenate artist in the modern music and design industries. Born in Nebraska and raised in Texas, the Pakistani-American creative director, animator, and designer has taken the visual culture of pop music by storm, most notably through her groundbreaking work with grammy-winning pop star Chappell Roan.
Sattar is the creative director behind some of Roan’s most iconic visual moments, including tour visuals, album packaging, and music videos. Sattar’s work has become more public and celebrated than ever. “It has been a dream, creatively and personally,” she said. “I am so grateful for all the art I've been able to make, and for all the fun collaborations with other creatives!”
“I am so grateful for all the art I've been able to make, and for all the fun collaborations with other creatives!”
When I press on what her creative process is like, Sattar tells me it is rooted in experimentation and intuition. “I love starting with a moodboard, or a loose sketch of an idea,” she explained. “Then I make a bunch of different mockups, and see what feels right from there! I usually have 5-6 different options for the direction of a design before I finalize which one I wanna move towards.”
Ramisha and Chappell Roan - via Instagram @mishaspice
Her process is a mix of analoge and digital mediums, a signature approach that ensures each piece feels unique and deeply personal. Her work with Roan includes conceptualizing the “Magician’s Cut” of Red Wine Supernova, animating tour visuals for major festivals like Coachella and Governors Ball, and designing packaging for The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and “Good Luck, Babe!” vinyl. Most of her designs are bright and punchy, whilst still intricate. The collaboration has become so integral to Roan’s persona that the artist herself told CNN, “She is just as much Chappell Roan as I am, honestly. She is Chappell Roan too.”
Sattar’s creative world stretches far beyond her collaborations. She serves as the Director of Design at astrologer Chani Nicholas’s wellness app, CHANI, and draws inspiration from a rich tapestry of cultural and aesthetic references. “I gather a lot of inspiration from the patterns, colors, and textures within South Asian textiles,” she shared. “I actually just got done studying block-printing in India and can't wait to bring back some of what I learned into my art.”
She also credits old Bollywood films and vintage South Asian print design as lasting influences. Sattar's Pakistani-American identity plays a central role in shaping her artistic vision. By combining elements of her heritage with contemporary pop culture, she has carved out a unique lane in visual storytelling. Her top creative influences span generations and genres: Andy Warhol, Dolly Parton, and Abdur Rahman Chughtai are a few of the names she tells me she draws inspiration from. Her favorite album covers include IGOR by Tyler, The Creator and Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood, showcasing a taste that’s eclectic yet cohesive.
Despite her meteoric rise, Sattar remains grounded. When asked whether she’s ever considered another career path due to setbacks, she replied simply: “No. Just a lot of happy accidents!” Her advice to aspiring creatives is equally light-hearted yet profound: “I try to regularly do things I am really bad at to push myself out of my comfort zone.” From her work behind the scenes at the Grammys to conceptualizing visually arresting music videos like Roan’s The Giver, Sattar has proven herself to be more than just a designer, she’s a storyteller, a visionary. As she puts it, “It’s all drag at the end of the day, so however I can help build that world is so fun!”