Who what where…
Like the song goes, I’m a native New Yorker. I grew up about 45 minutes away from New York City in the suburbs on the North Shore of Long Island in a small village called Woodbury. Although it was a lovely area and ideally located to raise a family (less than an hour away from one of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan cities, and half an hour away from the white sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean), I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there.
Both of my parents had grown up in New York City (Brooklyn and the Bronx respectively) and, like many people of their generation, their families moved to Long Island when they had a bit of money. Unlike many of their peers, they both always felt a strong attraction to ‘the city’ and took my sister and I on weekly trips to expose us to the breadth of culture that was on offer there. When it was time to go off to college (aka university) at 17, I packed up and moved to Manhattan to attend New York University (NYU) where my major was ‘Graphic communication design and management’. The course was graphic design, but was within the communications department, so the focus was on theory more than practice. I had decided to go the ‘liberal arts’ route rather than the art school route (at the delight of my parents) to get a ‘well- rounded’ education. Rather than studio time, we read John Berger and Marshall McLuhan. The usefulness of this, which I often joke, makes me an interesting guest at dinner parties but little more. I finished a semester early (again, to the extreme pleasure of my parents, saving them around $15K) and went straight to work in magazine publishing, but more on that later.
Following that, I worked at the Public Theatre, New York’s largest off Broadway theatre as a graphic designer for their cabaret space. The job which to this day may have been my favourite. It combined my love of both music and design. I worked alongside an art director who taught me more than my very expensive education ever did. I looked forward to work every day (except post-opening nights which were a little touch and go) and I was proud of what I was creating. Then there was September 11th. During the weeks and months that followed, with the decline of tourism and people going out, the economy of downtown Manhattan was devastated. Soon after, ‘The Public’ had to let go of one third of the staff, and as a junior designer, I was among those.
The following year was a very bad year to be an unemployed designer. There were so many out of work designers and very few available jobs. Eventually I settled on a job I hated, designing for a continuing studies programme. After toiling away there, jaded and frustrated, I decided I was ready for a change of scenery. I knew it had to be another big city. I had already lived in Manhattan (three years), Brooklyn (one year) and Queens (four years) and was ‘so over’ New York, plus my career was going nowhere. Despite travelling extensively to other US cities, no other place really inspired me to want to settle. While studying at NYU, I had travelled to London during my spring break (note: I have never been a ‘body shot’ or ‘foam party’ kinda girl) and fell in love with the place. So at 25 I decided to pack up and move to across the pond.
I put my career on hold and went back to school, studying for my master’s degree in graphic design at Camberwell College of Arts. That year, I gave new meaning to the phrase ‘seize the day’ and took every opportunity that presented itself to travel and explore London, the UK and Europe, as I didn’t think I’d be able to stay.
Upon completion of my degree four years ago, I was so captivated by London I decided to stay. Since then there has been much blood, sweat and tears with regards to visa issues and bad employment choices but in spite of all that, I couldn’t be happier. I’m currently working as a digital design editor in the advertising solutions department at a large magazine publishing house. On the odd occasion when I have some free time I love taking long walks around London with my camera.
Work and fun…
I am a multi-disciplined, integrated designer. I have worked in print and digital, in branding and marketing. I like to think that my talent is creative problem solving, as wanky as that sounds. I love being presented with a brief and deconstructing it, reconstructing it and creating something (hopefully) that makes the client think, wow, I never thought of that before. Unfortunately, many people like to take the safe route, which can be frustrating as a designer. I usually dust off my creative hat on projects I work on for friends, who I can usually convince to take the road less travelled.
Work…
As a child I was really shy and quiet and didn’t really like (or fit in with) most of the girls in my classes. I would be happy spending hours on my own reading, mostly non-fiction books about things like poisonous plants or weird facts. At an early age I was playing with letterpress type and creating small handmade books (my grandfather was a printer and provided me with reams and reams of paper to play with). I remember he showed us this new typesetting software he had called ‘Adobe’, which enabled you to make all kinds of crazy headlines and funny type.
As I got older, I discovered, though my dad, a whole world of the weird and wonderful, and immersed myself in independent films and music. Typical teenage rebellion drew me into the punk/hardcore/riot grrrl scene in Long island, which was basically a fraternity of outcasts. My friends and I would try to go to shows every weekend as a release from the monotony and drama of high school. I used to take photos at the shows and I created scrapbook-like zines using a lot of my dad’s old magazines and newspapers he had around the house (he’s a mini-horder). I remember I called my zine ‘Tangy’ and it was about new wave culture (this was in the mid 90s before the whole 80s revival thing happened, I’ll have you know. Ha ha). In 1996, I had my first website. It was a school project which I entitled ‘Last Website on The Left’ after the film and it showcased my photography from the punk and hardcore scene. Because the web was relatively small at the time and my site was fairly niche, I received emails from people all over the world about my photos and some were even published in an Austrian fanzine! I am still drawn to underground scenes whether they be music, design, art, fashion, etc. I find a lot of inspiration in them.
Learning…
I have two degrees, a bachelor’s and a master’s (that’s the parent-friendly answer) but where I really learned what I do is working with other talented designers and writers. Not to say my education was completely useless (OK, I think I did say my undergrad was, but I take that back). When you are in an academic environment, you have all the freedom to create whatever you like. What you learn is how to defend your choices, how to look at a problem from different angles and lots of intellectual rubbish that makes for decent (albeit pretentious) banter.
Confidence…
Hmmm… I guess I was always a visual person and also fascinated by language. Design enables me to combine the two.
Right now…
I always have a number of freelance projects on the go. I have just finished designing a website for a New York based company who will accept packages in your absence and arrange for an alternative delivery called Parcel Chaperone. And I’m designing the identity and website for a friend’s architecture practice called SolidVoid, doing the identity and website for a UK based AIDS charity and ongoing work with a youth outreach charity called Whitekat.
On the side…
I am a freelance art director for my friend’s online marketing consultancy called Brilliantly Different and I am often working on branding/web design projects for friends. Usually, once people learn that I ‘can do web stuff’ they will enlist me to create a website for them, which is cool because they also give me the freedom to design it as I want. I also have designed a number of murals for Bloompapers, a company based in Barcelona who contacted me through my website.
Likes and dislikes…
I really dislike the way you are pigeon-holed as a designer. I think, in order to be a good designer, you should be able to work across any platform. I have worked in print, branding, digital, in-house and agency-side but people want to define you by your most recent position - it’s myopic and annoying.
Environment…
I grew up in a very well-to-do area where education was paramount to all and there was pressure to succeed and to fit in. It’s the kind of place where a kid’s first car is a BMW and girls would get nose jobs for their sweet sixteens. Imagine a John Hughes movie where the popular crowd is Jewish and you’d get the idea. If you looked different or weren’t into what everyone else was into, or didn’t have the right clothes/shoes/bags you were looked down upon or bullied. I like to think that I have been able to take the positive attributes from that upbringing (working hard and believing anything is possible) and thwart the negative by marching to a different drumbeat and moving as far away as possible.
A day in her life…
My day-to-day job can change from working on a multi-page microsite for Dior to a Flash banner for Fairy, which keeps things somewhat interesting as the briefs and requirements can vary dramatically. Many evenings are spent in front of the computer working on various freelance projects, which also vary from mixtape covers and eflyers for my DJ friend in New York (Mike Dextro), to a law firm’s website, to a logo for a HIV Research charity. On the odd occasion that I have an evening free, I really enjoy cooking for friends or spending the evening in with my boyfriend.
Encouragement…
Despite the fact they wish I was closer, my family have been very supportive of my decisions and can recognise that I am happy here. In addition, I’m lucky enough to have a strong support network of friends who have been there with me through many ups and downs. It hasn’t been easy being so far away from my family, but I have met so many great people here and they are my family.
Family…
Both of my parents are teachers so education was extremely important to them. Before they were married they went on a trip around the world, where they went to 25 countries in eight months and my sister, who is two years younger than me, lived in Japan for two and a half years before I moved to the UK. I think both my sister and I inherited the travel bug from my parents. In addition, they were very supportive when I decided I wanted to study for my master’s. My dad and I have a similar interest in all things indie and off beat so we often recommend music or films to each other. He even clips out ads he thinks are interesting or magazines that have caught his eye.
Obstacles…
Wow, where to begin. There were hurdles when I lost my job after 9/11, when I lost my job in London (I was working at a design agency for four months when my team was cut) and there have been hurdles with getting a visa - after receiving the first visa, the home office changed the law and I needed to get a work permit (fortunately a high court found that decision to be illegal so I got my old visa back). There’ve also been hurdles getting people to see the breadth of my abilities and to look beyond my last position. But I try to use all the hurdles as learning experiences. Life can throw you some curve balls and it’s all about how you can use them in order to move forward.
Lessons…
I’m my own worst critic but I have to overcome that. In order for people to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself first.
Best advice…
Don’t dream it, be it.
Collections…
I’m extremely sentimental so I collect everything from movie stubs to postcards that have some meaning to me. However, in the move over to the UK I had to do a major purge of these things (and I don’t have much space to start afresh). I have been ‘collecting’ things by taking photos. Current obsessions are ice cream vans (they always look so creepy) and info-graphic signs in various countries. I think you can learn a lot about a culture by the way they tell their people ‘no’ or ‘don’t’.
Influences…
As children, my sister and I constantly had a camera (either video or still) in our faces so we both picked up my mom’s passion for photography. For me, it started in high school when I took a photography course. I had always loved art class but wasn’t the strongest at drawing. This was a way I could express myself creatively without being frustrated by my result. As I mentioned earlier, I began making books and magazines when I was really young and it was when I had become the art editor of the school literary arts magazine that I realised I could turn it into a career.
Inspiration…
I go for a walk and try to take in everything around me, both natural and man made. It helps clear my head.
Favourite things…
It’s great seeing what else is out there and I can spend hours in a design book store looking at everything. In terms of websites, cpluv.com has some lovely stuff. However in order to get my own creative juices flowing I try to go to the various galleries and museums around London, as well as taking in the performing arts as much as possible. In terms of music, I like all music, all the time. I can’t work without it.
To relax…
I enjoy Pilates and a nice hot bath.
Back in time…
I try to live my life without regrets and I think each of my life choices has brought me to where I am today. Some choices had better outcomes than others but all were a learning experience.
People…
I’m inspired by Tibor Kalman, a great designer and thinker, my parents, my sister and my friends, many of whom have started up their own companies, in the past year, doing what they love.
Plans…
Redesiging my website!
Dream life…
Having one year off to travel the world with my lovely boyfriend.
Advice…
Never stop doing things for yourself. It seems hard when you have a full-time job but if you make the time it keeps you from going crazy.