How long have you worked for Brightspot? What brought you here?
I’ve been here for almost three years. I came because I had previously worked with our CMO at the time, Adrianna Nowell. I had worked with her at Bazaarvoice for three years or so. I really liked her leadership and I wanted to work with her again. She reached out to me and said she needed a creative here and so I jumped over. She has since left, but I’m staying because I love the team and everyone else.
Can you tell me more about your role as Art Director? What is a typical day like for you?
There really isn’t a typical day for an art director, which is why I love it. Every day is kind of a new creative challenge to be solved. That’s how I look at everything: as a creative challenge. Whether it’s just somebody wanting a poster, somebody wanting a web page, or whatever it is, everything is a creative challenge. Of course, the administrative tasks are similar each day, but the projects truly aren’t and it keeps it interesting for me. I also have an incredibly talented freelancer that I work with named Andrés, and collaborating with him is really fun. So, yeah, just working together to find different solutions every day!
How have you grown professionally since starting at Brightspot?
I think visibility and collaboration. Some companies have a culture of just kind of tucking designers away in a corner but Brightspot is different. It’s really allowed me to have a major impact with creative simplification of the core brand materials or working cross-functionally with many teams for the relaunch of our website. It’s just been a more open environment and it’s kind of elevated my skills in that way.
Do you have any advice for college students or those who are starting their careers in design?
This was an interesting question. I like this one. I would say redesign things that bother you. Building a strong portfolio is really difficult as a new designer because people don’t always want to take a chance on you. Just remember that every project doesn’t have to be real and paid. For example, if there’s an ugly logo at your favorite coffee shop, redesign it. If there’s an annoying paper bag at your local sandwich shop that the handles keep falling off, redesign it. It helps scratch that itch in your brain that drives you crazy but it also shows a prospective employer that you can recognize bad design in the real world and take the initiative to change it.
If you could pick another role to try within Brightspot for one week, which would it be and why?
It would be Anne Ulrich (Director of Details). I know I’d be worn out because she does many things in one day. She just makes it all look so fun and the things she gets to touch on — field day, the holiday parties, team gatherings, all the things — just seem really fun. She’s also really into details, which I love. The details of all of her little plannings are just perfect to a T. I was really jealous of my Virginia-based colleagues on field day. That looked so fun. I would have to take classes to become a barista, though. I don’t even drink coffee so that might be an issue.
Besides the people, what is your favorite part about working at Brightspot?
This one is tricky. I don’t know if you’ll count this because it kind of has to do with people but not specifically. It’s the happiness. It’s the overall feeling. The tone of the company is positive. People are happy to work here. Work-life balance is respected and collaboration is encouraged. At a lot of companies, you’ll get snarky Slack messages like “I hate this place” or “this person is annoying” or whatever it is. This company just doesn’t have that. You don’t have that negativity at all here so, I like that.
What are your favorite activities or hobbies to do outside of the office?
I go to a lot of concerts, art exhibits, and I love to travel. Since I’ve moved to Chicago, I’ve been a tour guide because people love to visit Chicago, which I love. We have an amazing summertime, so, when it’s summer here, I’ll basically be outside to do anything. Right now I’m looking at eight inches of snow out my window so I won’t be doing a lot for a little while.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Right now, to be honest, anywhere warm. Anywhere that’s 80 degrees with a beach and a boat is where I want to be.
What would your perfect day be in Chicago?
I moved here almost three years ago at the exact same time I started working at Brightspot. It seems like a long time but I’m still learning and exploring Chicago. Chicago is huge and I’ve learned that every neighborhood has its own unique vibe and food and culture. When I have a free day, I’ll often just take the train to a stop that I’ve never gotten off at before and I’ll just get off and explore that neighborhood for the day. I’ll try new restaurants, shops, attractions, views, whatever is kind of special to that neighborhood.
If you could have any superpower, which one would you like to have? Why?
I thought a lot about this one and time manipulation is what I narrowed it down to. I would love the ability to time travel. I’d just jump back and forth and feel what the 1920s is, feel what the ‘60s is, feel what the ‘80s is, etc. I would also like to be able to slow down time and then speed up time. I’d slow down time for something that’s amazing, magical, like I’m going to want to remember this moment forever. Then also, when something’s really awful, I’d like to be able to just fast forward it.
