Utah graphic designer goes viral with puzzle designs

Graphic artist Jason Holladay painted this wall mural on the wall of a Logan Walmart, titled 'My Hometown'. Photo: Jason Holladay

PROVIDENCE, Utah — Artist Jason Holladay never expected to go viral. Still, with the help of his son Corbin, who created a TikTok account for his dad in 2022 (now with over 668k views), the graphic designer was launched into a virtual world that generated a fun way to make a living by creating puzzles, coloring books, and artwork.

The TikTok videos showcased boxes of puzzles and encouraged viewers to purchase them. Jason and Jennifer Holladay launched their side hustle, Periwinkle Products, in 2020, and after the video aired, they sold over 800 puzzles in two days.

“My wife came up with the name Periwinkle Products because she thought my art would look good on puzzles,” Holladay said. “I found my art style by doodling with my young boys in church to keep them from being disruptive. I would get out a piece of paper, doodle on it, then pass it to them, and we would go back and forth, which would turn into a crazy-looking drawing.”

Holladay took that doodle and created a finished piece of art. From there, he went around and did doodles with other people, later launching the ‘Artist in you and me’ project, which can be found on Youtube.

“My wife suggested I enter a contest at a local Walmart, so I did, and I won,” he said. “Now there is a huge mural in the south Walmart store called ‘My Hometown’ of Cache Valley and the surrounding areas.”

Holladay’s whimsical and imaginative designs have turned puzzles into an exciting adventure of doodles. Each piece is a visual delight, taking puzzlers through a world of colorful and playful characters.

@periwinklepuzzles Episode 1 | If anyone loves or knows anyone who likes art/puzzles, this is my dad’s dream and would mean a lot! His website is in the comments! • • • • • • #puzzles #smallbusiness #puzzletok #dad #christmas #christmasgiftideas #smallbusinesscheck #parents #sad #utah #ut #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen ♬ Sparks – Coldplay