Sarah
Olushoga

What led you into design?

Believe it or not, well into my teenage years I was so sure I was going to be a Pediatrician. I was always a creative child though if I’m being honest. I joined every theatre program and signed up for every art class that was available. It truly brought me joy to exercise my creative muscle at a young age.

While signing up for my elective classes my sophomore year of high school, I came across an “Intro to Graphic Design” course. I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into but I read through the syllabus and saw we would have the chance to create logos and design posters. So I signed up. I was only two weeks into that semester when I decided I wanted to be a Graphic Designer. Shoutout to Mrs. Zopf.

What does a typical day look like?

My days typically start with a gym session somewhere between 7 - 8am. After I workout I try to have some sort of high protein breakfast. Lately, I’ve been loving my overnight oats topped with granola, blueberries and a drizzle of honey. Luckily my first meeting of the day is usually around 11am so I often spend the first few hours of the morning heads down, following up on Slack messages, replying to emails or catching up on Looms from the day before. The rest of my work day usually revolves around Figma files, Notion docs, Zoom meetings and checking off my to-do list.

If the weather is on my side at the end of the work day, my partner and I usually take long walks to get some steps in and create that separation from work and the rest of the day since we both work from home. This has easily become the highlight of my day.

What's your workstation setup?

Where do you go to get inspired?

I try to find inspiration in everything and everyone around me when I can. Lately I’ve been inspired by people and their unique stories and experiences either through books, interviews or music. For digital design specifically, I always visit sites like Godly, AWWWARDS and Dribbble.

What product have you recently seen that made you think this is great design?

I absolutely love Maude’s branding and their overall approach on sexual wellness. The photography, the copy, the packaging - all of it. So good!

What pieces of work are you most proud of?

I recently launched my own whipped body butter brand and it might be one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. It’s not perfect by any means but I truly am so proud of myself for creating and sharing a product that I love with the world and I’m so excited to continue to build and have fun with it.

What design challenges do you face at your company?

We’re sort of in a transition period right now. We recently had a few team members move on to new and exciting opportunities leaving us with a pretty lean team at the moment. But honestly, I’d say we’ve been managing it pretty well. This change really encouraged us to focus on our priorities for the quarter and reevaluate our workflow/design systems. We're better for it.

What music do you listen to while designing?

Any advice for ambitious designers?

Keep learning. Ask questions. Stay open. Always remember your why. Enjoy it!

Anything you want to promote or plug?

If you’re in the market for a new body butter, check out my whipped shea butter line, Shoga or follow the journey on Instagram. Stay soft.