Designer Lauren Lidstrom on drawing whales, working abroad and her career turning point

Designer Lauren Lidstrom shares her journey through her graphic design career, and what she describes as the ‘turning point’ she experienced when working abroad surrounded by non-english-speakers.

I am a Portland, Oregon based Graphic Designer and Illustrator. I spend half of my time working for a small marketing company and the other (more creative) half working as a freelancer. I have worked for a wide range of clients, small to large. I strive to mix traditional media with modern design to create a simple, fun, and effective solution.

I can’t really pinpoint a time when I knew I wanted to be an artist or designer. I have been drawing since I was very young. I would draw killer whales every single day. I once drew a whale in class and was voted “best drawer in 3rd grade”. Years after achieving this title, I found a great art school through a friend who was currently there majoring in Visual Communications. With some inspiration from her and her projects, I enrolled and later achieved a Bachelor’s of Arts in Graphic Design. During my time in college, I was lucky enough to be educated and heavily influenced by my instructor and author, Barbara Obermeier. Through attending her classes, I was given the opportunity to travel abroad to live and study in Osaka Japan. It was during this time in my design career that I felt like I was at a turning point. I was designing and communicating in an environment where my peers were not speaking my native tongue, and it was a daily struggle to find new ways to articulate and complete a project. I came back to the states with a completely new perspective on verbal and visual communication.

After college, I worked at a handful of companies in a position of Graphic Designer, UX/UI Designer, or Illustrator. Though I credit my past Art Directors and Creative Directors for teaching me a lot of what I know today, I didn’t feel like I was meeting my full creative potential. Looking for a deeper creative outlet, I began taking on more freelance or contract jobs on the side. Having previous connections to filmmakers and photographers, my freelance portfolio quickly filled up with logo/identity projects for small creative businesses on the rise.

I take inspiration from so many things. Music is a big part of my day. Drinking coffee in my kitchen on a sunny morning is a great way for me to feel like I can accomplish anything! I drink a lot of good coffee and I try to meditate for a few minutes every morning. Aside from caffeine, I like to be outside. Living in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, I am surrounded by natural, organic beauty. Being outside not only clears my mind, but it gets me away from my computer.

If I am facing a creative block I have to travel. Even if it’s just a drive to the next town, it’s something I have to do! Seeing and experiencing new things is essential. Chatting with other creatives or fellow designers is another way to find myself inspired. I also spend time keeping up with Dribbble or Behance. Some of my current favorite Designers/Illustrators are Dana Tanamachi, Mikey Burton, Saul Bass, and I love the work from Studio MUTI in South Africa.

My process is always evolving and I can’t really say I have a repetitive order of operations for projects. A corporate business identity design will require different methods than an art film that has requested a hand painted poster. However, most of my projects begin the same way. I am a big believer in doing your homework before you visually represent something or someone. I spend a lot of time researching, learning, and figuring out what’s out there (and what’s lacking) in the specific industry I’m designing for. I almost always sketch my ideas before I bring them onto the computer, no matter what the project. Ideas seem to flow more naturally on paper, even if they are just words.

I don’t use a lot of tools. Pencil, a Pigma Micron pen, chalk, cheap India ink and a small paintbrush. The rest is Photoshop or Illustrator on my Macbook Pro. I sometimes use a camera to photograph my work.

I run my freelance business out of my apartment. I have a designated work area where I converted a tiny closet into an open corner where my desk fits perfectly. At the moment I work independently, but live with a crazy golden retriever who makes me take walk breaks when needed. I also work for a marketing company in an office with two other print designers and three client relations associates.

What I love most about freelancing aside from the creative freedom is the opportunity to work with so many different kinds of clients in an ever-changing environment. Being able to choose where I physically sit down to work is a big plus.

I would love to be able to travel internationally for work. It’s harder in the present day since everything is so easily delivered digitally. I just finished a logo job out of Beijing without ever meeting my client face to face. One day I hope to deliver an amazing project or installation to an international client in person!

Learn more about Lauren on her website.