When I Grow Up: Becoming a Graphic Designer & Brand Strategist

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm featuring Lindsay Goldner, a graphic designer and brand strategist. Find out more about her journey now!

As a child, I wanted to be a ­______ when I grew up. As a child I wanted to be either an interior designer, a writer, or a musical theater star when I grew up.

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? My current career is pretty far from any of those, unless writing blog posts, decorating my apartment, and singing in the shower count!

What is your official job title? I certainly wear many hats in my current career, but my main hat, if you will, is that of a graphic designer and brand strategist! That means I work with entrepreneurs and small businesses to create brand identities (logos, colors, tone, imagery), websites, and everything else that needs designing! As a strategist I help provide clarity on where brands are currently at, where they can improve, and how we can best utilize design to make brands stand out from the crowd.

What is a typical day like? I spent the last few months working full-time at an agency, so now I’m getting back into the freelance life and trying to re-establish a routine, but I’ve never been great at having a true routine! I’m generally a night owl, which means I get up around 10 or so, have some caffeine, and dive right into emails! Lately, I’ve been trying to hold off on my email checking first thing and instead get some creative inspiration via my feedly feed or pinterest to get my creative juices flowing. After that, a typical day can include anything from client calls, to working at a local coffee shop (I keep Starbucks in business these days), running errands, chilling with my cat and reading business books, really anything! I try to get to networking or social events at least once a month, which forces me to dress up and interact with people (important for a freelancer who lives alone!) and do things like yoga or hiking too.

How did you end up in this career? Design was kind of an accidental but, I think, fated career move for me. I majored in English and American Studies at Berkeley but then moved to Boston right after college and started working with startups doing content, social media, and the occasional graphic. I ended up working for a site-maker startup and learning more about design, which led me to create my own website (though I cringe at that early design) for my copywriting/social media services. Randomly, I reached out to the amazing Erika Napoletano (formerly known as @redheadwriting) one day in response to her call for a virtual assistant and sent her my site. Instead of hiring me as a VA, she took a look at my site and asked me to do some Facebook landing pages for her…and I really haven’t looked back since! 

Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? Figure out what really makes you glow. What do you “geek out” over? As Jessica Hische says, "The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.”

Thank you for sharing, Lindsay! You can find more about Lindsay on her website, Facebook page, Twitter profile, or Pinterest boards.

​Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

Falling into Fall

What a difference a week makes! Seriously, I feel like a human being again. Not quite my usual self, but at least like a person. So how about we catch up on a few things? 

First, it's fall! Which means football season, of course. I've been quietly cheering on my Sooners, even attending a game last month. It had been awhile since my last game, I'd almost forgotten how much fun they are! (Though they are a little more fun when you can enjoy an adult beverage or two...) We're still cable-free, so when they play on anything other than ABC I have to figure out what to do. This weekend I ended up at BJs Brewery, where I was ID-ed when I sat at the bar and ordered a root beer. But that root beer was awesome, as was the mini-pizookie I devoured as the second ticked away in the fourth quarter. 

Second, I am full-on obsessed with the Good Wife. I've watched the first three seasons so far, and I can't stop. I've been spoiled on a few things, much to my disappointment, but I'm not letting that ruin my excitement. I could be checking out some of the new shows, but I'd rather stick with older ones that I can binge on. (I was a binger before Netflix, so I can't blame this on them!)

Third, I'm hitting the ground running this month. I've wrapped up some major projects, and I'm booking for the last couple months of 2015. If you or anyone you know needs help with anything content related (website, e-course, sales emails, anything!) send them my way. I'd love to end 2015 with too much work :) You can find out more about what I do at www.jbryantcreative.com!

Finally, I'll leave you with my first official baby bump picture. Ok, it's still not much of a bump. But it feels like one to me!

Have a great week, friends!

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...​

When I Grow Up: Partner and Designer at Jack & Liberty

And we're back! This week I'm featuring Liberty Riggs, of Jack & Liberty. I'd seen her around the Being Boss group and was super intrigued by the name of her company, and I'm so glad she's sharing her story today!

As a child, I wanted to be a _____ when I grew up. A whole bunch of things! As a kid, I wanted to be an English teacher, a rock star, an artist and a research psychologist. I guess I've always planned on being very busy.

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? Well, I am an artist, just not in the way I thought I would be, and there's quite a bit of psychology involved in design - so I would say I'm pretty close. Unfortunately, I can't carry a tune, so 'rock star' was out pretty early on - but I do end up working with a lot of musicians.

What is your official job title? Currently I'm a 'Partner and Designer' at Jack & Liberty, in my 'free' time I'm also an independent design consultant.

Ok, now what does that really mean? Hah, well, Jack & Liberty is a business I run with my partner, Jack Sorokin, who is a photographer. Together we offer brand design and strategy for artists, musicians, and other creative endeavors. That means that I own half the business, am responsible for half the tasks involved with running that business, as well as 100% of the design work. Also being a consultant on the side means that when a project comes along that doesn't fit with the mission of my business, I can still consider taking it on independently.

What is a typical day like? Oh, man. I'm not even sure I have a 'typical' day right now, but it's something I'm working towards. Most days I sit down to work around 8AM, and I like to keep my WiFi turned off for at least an hour or two - that way I can just focus on whatever tasks I must get done that day without distraction. After that, I send out all of my client deliverable for that day and catch up on email a little bit. My afternoons are divided between client calls and meetings, office visits to my consulting clients, and the occasional midday workout.

How did you end up in this career? My first job out of college was in the Industrial Design department at Kohler Kitchen and Bath - that's where I really fell in love with design. I worked with their Artists Editions team, developing decorative patterns and color-ways for new products.

But I became an entrepreneur because I'm honestly a terrible employee. I like working to accomplish goals, not to meet hour requirements. I've always worked hard and been extremely driven, but I get easily burnt out if I can't connect with an organization's larger mission. So, I decided to try setting my own rules and working towards my own mission, and I love it.

What kind of education or training did you complete for this career? I was lucky enough to grow up in a city with a great arts magnet highschool (shout out to Booker T. Washington in Dallas, TX!) - so I got started on my arts training fairly young. After I graduated from Booker T. I went to the Maryland Institute College of Art and got my BFA in Art History and Printmaking. So I had a pretty extensive artistic background, but all of my technical design abilities were learned on the job.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? My best advice for designers just starting out is to get into an environment where you will be asked to work fairly quickly, and try a lot of new things. Early on in my career I worked at a small advertising agency and had to figure out everything from web ads to direct mail. It was challenging, but it was the best and quickest way to figure what I did and did not like.

Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up? Right now I'm trying to build my dream business - and it has been a wild ride. I jokingly tell people that my next business will be some kind of interior decorating / event styling - but I wouldn't be surprised if I actually do that when I grow up.

Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? You can do it! And with so many amazing online communities sprouting up lately centered around finding your purpose and co-creating your life, it's easier than ever to get support if you decide you need to make a big life change.

There's some great advice there, thank you Liberty! (PS - I love her name so much, don't you? Or maybe I'm just a little name crazy right now.) If you'd like to learn about Jack & Liberty, visit their site. If you'd like to see the awesome things Liberty shares on Instagram, follow her!

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...