What led you into design?
I’m an elder millennial, so I was lucky enough to grow up in the generation that first had access to the internet and all of its creative tools, like Geocities, MySpace, Angelfire, etc. It was an amazing time to be online. I started designing fan sites and MySpace templates using bootlegged Photoshop from LimeWire and some HTML tutorials, and graduated into desktop wallpapers for pop culture message boards when I was a teenager. I was hooked! I miss the pre-clout time before social media, when you had to visit tight-knit online communities and research tutorial sites to figure things out.
Eventually, I studied journalism and design in university, and worked as a writer for a brief period, but transitioned back into design after realizing how much I missed it. I ended up working in design in New York for about 10 years, 5 of them spent at Conde Nast, where I eventually led the web design team for The New Yorker. It was the perfect fit for a journalism and design major; I left the team and moved to Berlin in 2023 after wanting to pursue a lifelong dream of living in Europe.
This past year, I transitioned into running my own independent design practice, Tendencies, after wondering what it would be like to give it a go on my own. I’m a web and brand designer, as well as illustrator, which means I love to build interactive things and think about how they work, but want them to look and feel beautiful as well. It’s been so empowering, and since the majority of my clients have been small businesses in progressive spaces, wonderful to see them flourish as well.
For what it’s worth, I didn’t start working as a full-time designer until I was 27, which felt right—I was more emotionally mature, so could process feedback a bit better—but required a lot of ego pruning, since most of my mentors and bosses were my age or younger.
I think there’s still a lot of ageism in design, especially for women and queer folks—you’re either seen as too young to hold a certain title, or too old and out of touch to “be good.” People under 30 beat themselves up for not being at a certain career milestone, and people over 30 start to worry they’re going to be seen as irrelevant. It’s pretty insane, and has no merit.
I hope it’s changing with this generation of designers, who grew up designing for the internet and truly see this as a life-long career. Fingers crossed!
What does a typical day look like?
This past year, I went from working with a studio to being completely freelance, which meant a sudden shift in work from home and setting my own schedule. For now, I’ve figured out that maintaining a traditional Monday—Friday (even Thursday) setup works best for me, with some modifications. I usually wake up around 7 or 8, and try to get a workout class in (like yoga or spin.) Then I have a morning ritual of coffee and a nice breakfast, and usually start work around 10. I’ll take a prolonged lunch break around 1pm to get things done (or just take a nap), then work again from 3 until 7 or so, depending on client calls.
It’s been really liberating to work for myself—I don’t think the traditional 8 hour work day works for most creatives. Sometimes, I can finish everything I need in 2 hours, and sometimes if I’m lost in the flow, it can be (an enjoyable, promise) 12 hour day.
I really do miss working with humans, though. I think all freelancers can relate to the isolation of working solo for the majority of your time. Next year, I’m prioritizing finding the right creative coworking space here in Berlin. So if you know of any, or want to rent out a desk at your studio, let me know!
What's your workstation setup?
MacBook Pro x Apple Studio Display, good, soft lighting (no big lights!) and a fancy candle (from Boy Smells or Byredo) if I’m feeling indulgent. I’ve pinned some of my paintings in progress above my desk so I can get inspired by color as I work. And, hopefully my cat in my lap.
Where do you go to get inspired?
Where do you get inspired?
The usual places—like Are.na, Pinterest, and design publications—but also archival content, and in the words of Chuck Anderson’s thoughts on Bráulio Amado, trying to be good at “just looking around”. I saw Elizabeth Goodspeed speak IRL in Brooklyn a few years ago and the way she approaches design through sifting through archives changed my brain. Every designer should have her Casual Archivist spreadsheet bookmarked.
It’s also something I’ve woven into my practice. A good example is this brand I’m currently developing for a sustainability client here in Berlin, Oddkin. Because this client is Italian, and focuses on allowing access to fresh, sustainable produce, resourced primarily in Italy, I found a 15th century Erbario (herb journal) that had absolutely perfect illustrations. We’ve woven them throughout the brand in a way that feels organic, but because they’re in the public domain, we can use them in many creative ways.
I've also been really into analogue techniques lately, and stop motion. I finally bought a printer, after years of resistance, and have been printing designs, scanning them, messing with them, and printing again. I used this technique a lot in a recent branding project for a community theatre.
What product have you recently seen that made you think this is great design?
The classic Componibili from Kartell. A must for a small workspace. And, Procreate is just incredible. I love that it’s an accessible price ($12.99 for lifetime use!) and I’ve used it for so many projects. I’m excited to try their new-ish animation tool Procreate Dreams as well.
What pieces of work are you most proud of?
At a larger scale, The New Yorker’s current homepage. Our team worked for about a year and a half to shift into an entirely new strategy for them, away from the typical cluttered editorial site and into a focused “story of the day” and an editor-curated homepage that felt more like the magazine. It was a massive team effort of product designers, product managers, engineers, editors, illustrators, and art directors, and I couldn’t be more proud.
More recently, I’m so stoked to share the projects I’ve worked on as an independent creative lead in the past year with businesses ranging from a community theater, to a mental health startup, to a Brooklyn pre-school. I can’t share much until things launch, but here are some sneak previews below.
What design challenges do you face at your company?
Currently, finding the confidence to deal with the uncertainty of freelancing and building a business, as well as the ever-present imposter syndrome. I’m also struggling with thinking about the future—ideally, I’d love to scale Tendencies into a fully-remote collective of freelance experts who tackle projects as a team, but I’m not sure if I’d like to employ people as a boss, and take a typical studio route. If that was ever the case, I’m all for salary transparency, and a collective, worker-owned model where everyone has a stake in the business. Studios like Gardener, Village One, and Upstatement do these things well.
What music do you listen to while designing?
Any advice for ambitious designers?
Everyone was born knowing nothing. You’re going to suck at new things for awhile, and eventually, you’ll be good—but it’s how you deal with the in-between that’s going to determine your success. (TLDR: Ira Glass’ “Taste Gap.”)
Be very kind to yourself, and work on developing emotional tools (like Internal Family Systems, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, meditation, and so on) to calm your inner critic. Work on emotional reactivity in the workplace, as anxiety is the most contagious emotion.
Finally, don’t let extremely detailed job postings deter you from going after something you want. Be delusional. Employers will post a list of what they think their “ideal candidate” has, but it’s impossible for someone to be a 100% match. You can always teach yourself the things they’re asking for and you don’t know. (Though employers asking one designer to do the job of 10 is insane, and a totally different problem.)
Anything you want to promote or plug?
Just my design practice for now. If you’re in need of a brand identity system or digital experience like a website, and want the care and expertise of a dedicated freelancer, think our values align, and like my work, drop me a line at hello@tendencies.design! I’m also always looking to collaborate with studios whose work I admire. Additionally, if you’re a designer and need any advice or just want to connect, my inbox is always open. Thanks for the interview!
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