How did you get into the industry?
It was a bumpy road. My education (since I was 7) has always been in Arts and Design, but I worked in Hospitality for a long time (and that gave me the opportunity to travel and live in different countries and cities).
When I was 30, I hit that point where it was now or never. I made a decision - I didn’t want to die not having even tried; this time, for real, I wanted to be a Designer. So, I went back to university. Yes, I was 30, a student again, doing internships (and getting paid not even the minimum wage), while working in a bar on weekends to pay for school. I was building my portfolio and my curriculum vitae.
It was challenging; I was living off protein bars and coffee, sleeping 6 hours per night at best, but hey, I was moving towards my goal! Then came the last semester at university - and it was 2020. We all know what happened - Covid. It was so disheartening... Even when the lockdown was lifted here in Spain, there were simply no jobs.
I say I got lucky, knowing the circumstances. But then again - what is luck? When opportunity meets preparation. A month after graduation, in July 2020, I signed a contract as a Junior Designer for a multinational cosmetics company. That was the moment when I felt like I had actually made it.
Where are you based now and who do you work for?
I’m originally from Latvia, but I have been living in Barcelona, Spain, now for 9 years and counting. I currently work full-time as an in-house designer for a Spanish fashion brand, NKN Nekane.
My day mainly consists of marketing design - newsletters, banners, landing pages, and occasional editorial designs. I do pick up side projects whenever I can, mostly branding and visual identity commissions.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
Plan A was always to live in Barcelona and be a Designer. Plan B was to move to New Zealand and become an extreme sports instructor. I still love to be as physically active as I can. I recently tried a few boxing classes with a friend and now I’m totally hooked.
Can you explain your creative process? What makes it unique?
I have to admit, I’m a “Pinterest generation” designer. I surf the web for a while (Pinterest, Behance, Dribble) to get my creative juices flowing. Then I create mood boards to organise ideas. This is when concepts, strategies, and creative direction are born. When designing, I iterate a lot; my artboards are usually full of sketches and variations.
If there’s enough time, I like to leave things to "mature". When you come back later, not only can you see with "fresh eyes", but also, in the meantime, your brain continues to work on the problem in the background. That’s how you get those magical moments when THE idea hits you in the shower, in the supermarket, or while walking your dog.
How would you describe your style?
If you are working commercially, you have to be adaptable. You do what’s best for the client, taking into account the brand and the target audience. Personally, I love big and bold typography; I'm a type junkie. And I love experimental things.
However, I feel I’m kind of calming down. If a few years ago I loved everything punky and black, I’m starting to have more and more appreciation for the soft and elegant, and not necessarily ground-breaking, solutions.
Which individuals do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
I’m a huge fan of Chris Do, James Martin (@made.by.james), and Jamie Brindle (@thejamiebrindle) when we talk about the business side of design.
That’s something they don’t teach you at university. I’m lately interested in brand strategies, and Jacob Cass (@justcreative) and Reagan Mackrill (@gdayfrank) share interesting stuff. If we talk about design heroes - it’s definitely Paula Scher. She’s the best.
What tips would you give to aspiring creatives looking for work?
Never ever give up. Keep grinding. There are no magical shortcuts from A to Z. Overnight success exists only in social media fairy tales. Put yourself out there, keep creating, keep learning. Learn how to deal with frustration, something I'm still struggling with.
And consider internships (yes, they are often underpaid, but...) - I can’t underestimate the value they had for me. Not only did I have the most amazing mentors and learned so much, but it was also the best way to build my CV and portfolio.
What tips would you give to other professionals to get more clients?
Network like crazy - put yourself and your work out there. Have you heard this phrase - “we buy from people we know, like, and trust”?
What kind of tools/kit/software could you not do without?
Pen, paper, and post-its. Old-school, isn’t it? I like to write down ideas, sketch them out and then I have huge to-do lists, all the things I could/should/would like to do. The post-its are literally everywhere around my workspace.
As for software, yes, it’s Adobe at this moment, but… My education in design started in 2002 and we were learning Paint and Corel Draw. Seems funny right now. At university (2007), I got hooked on Macromedia Flash (Adobe officially stopped supporting Flash in 2021). In my first job placement as a Junior Designer (2018), they proudly taught me Sketch (and then Figma came in).
I mean, software comes and goes and I’m super excited to see how the industry will change with all the AI tools making headway. What I want to say is - don’t get too attached to software; they are just tools.
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
To switch between projects and do passion work. I love to learn new things and to play around. I think, apart from the passion for what I do, curiosity plays a big role. And sometimes - you simply need to take time off.
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
It’s the small everyday stuff - figuring out why something doesn’t work when in theory it should have. Pinning down the problem and finding a solution.
What is the one thing that you would change about the industry?
Oh, quite a few... If I had to pick one, it would be the lack of transparency. We need a lot more transparency on industry salaries. We need a lot more transparency among companies to align on what a job title actually means. A “Lead Designer” at a startup means something entirely different than a “Lead Designer” at a large company.
We need a much more transparently defined framework to evaluate our career growth. And often clients don't appreciate how much design actually boosts their business. Also, there is a lack of transparency, but in this case, it’s on us. Highlight the impact of your work; we are not just “image makers” or people who can make “pretty pictures”.
Any websites, books, or resources you would recommend?
I listen to quite a lot of podcasts, and these are my favourites: @TheFuturAcademy (on YouTube), @morejanda (on YouTube), thefutur.com/podcast, justcreative.com/podcast, Dieline DECODED Webinar Series (about packaging design, that’s my other guilty pleasure).
On my reading list, I have: Joeri Van den Bergh, Mattias Behrer “How Cool Brands Stay Hot. Branding to Generation Y” Michael Johnson “Branding In Five and a Half Steps” Andy Stalman, “BrandOffOn. The Branding of the Future”.
And subscribe to Newsletters - that’s how I keep up with industry news. Some good ones - Creative Lives in Progress, Creativepool (of course), F*ck Being Humble, Made by James, The Brand Identity, Creative Review, Design Week, The UnderPinned, etc.
