You've always done things differently! How can designers stand out among a pile of applications?
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A nice portfolio is one thing, but I also look for people with that spark of passion, persistence, work ethic & a hunger to learn and grow. I see time and time again that those who put their heart into their work and are persistent in pushing themselves become the strongest designers in the long run, even if they didn't have the strongest portfolio starting out. The idea of โinnate talentโ is a myth in my opinion.
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No one pops out of the womb as a great designer. I was terrible when I started out! I became good at what I do by putting in the hours, studying, refining, and evolving my craft. You have to experiment, try things, and make a lot of bad work before you make something good. Creativity is not always easy. Creative jobs are not always fun and games. There were so many times starting out that I wanted to cave into the negative feelings: that I was not good enough, that I would never make it here in NYC, and that I was too exhausted to get up and keep going. Like any job, at times, there will be stress, hard work, difficult decisions, and forces trying to bring you down. But I donโt let hard times or negative thoughts kill my passion or hunger anymore; I use them as fuel.
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Why? All my best work, discoveries, and personal developments were born from the toughest times! And I am still hungry to learn and grow and I know I have a ways to go. I am passionate about pushing our work to be better, our studio workflow to be better, push my skills as a leader to be better
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We feel like you're the queen of passion projects โ Ladies, Wine & Design, Let's Talk About Mental Health, 12 Kinds of Kindness, the list goes on and on! What advice do you have for creatives not sure how to kick-start a passion project?
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Many creatives have voiced the dilemma around creating meaningful work but feeling trapped in their current 9-5, where deadlines and budgets are tight, and the creative is uninspiring. My advice is that if you find yourself feeling uninspired, create your own opportunities! I had jobs when I was younger that were uninspiring at times, and Iโd make time on nights and weekends to create personal projects that excited me. Making time for these personal projects is like going to the gym. Itโs hard at first to set aside time to do it, but if I do it regularly, it gives me so much more energy for life and work overall.
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I donโt think personal projects distract from the client work; it fuels it. Many of the things we learn while working on passion projects feed back into the personal work. Not to mention, many new clients find us through the personal work. The most recent example of this is our new type foundry, Type of Feeling. This project started because, in my experience, typography has the power to convey emotions, enhance brand identities, and become a brandโs most distinctive asset. Type of Feeling launched in August of 2024 and offers a select retail collection alongside custom typography services. Each typeface in our collection is meticulously crafted to evoke a range of feelings, blending artistic expression with functional design. This project has become an integral part of my creative process because it is an opportunity to explore new visual languages and ideas outside the restrictions of a creative brief. Ultimately, this exploration benefits one another.
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With all this said, if you donโt have time for side projects or value your free time and hobbies too much, it may be time to start looking for a new job that would be more creatively fulfilling.
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It's mind-blowing that only 0.1% of creative agencies are founded by women. What do you hope the future of the industry will look like for women designers?
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I hope to see more diversity in the creative industry especially in leadership roles. We need to ensure more women are credited and celebrated in awards and history books. Our educational institutions need to hire more women professors and instructors so that students can see people who look like them in leadership roles and learn from them.
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Our government needs to do more for parents and families and make it more possible for a woman to have a family and a career if thatโs what she wants. Our industry needs to eliminate the misogyny and sexism that are present at all levels, including at the top. We, collectively, need to value womenโs work the same way we value menโs. I hope that the next generation sees these changes and can raise the bar for equality and equity.
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