When I was a graduate back in 2009, I went through the standard process of many internships. Due to the designers and studios I had been exposed to during my education I seemed to have subconsciously decided that all Creative Directors were men. Most male CD’s I met in my early days, would scold and shout when something was done wrong. I remember being so excited when I interned somewhere and realised that their CD was a woman. The way she spoke to me as a designer was as an equal, something I hadn’t even realised was missing until then. The studio itself was affected by this temperament in a positive way and I remember thinking how much more balanced and relaxed the whole working experience was.
A few years later I came across another female CD who took me under her wing and nurtured me as a designer to become more than just that, also a copywriter and a strategist. She didn’t belittle me when she I thought I could do better, but made it more about her belief that I, as an individual, was capable of so much more. I don’t even think she realised she had this effect, one that she had on other designers also, both male and female.
Industry
