We recently connected with Alexa Speyer and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexa, thanks for joining us today. Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?

I was thrilled to land my dream internship during my Junior year of college as an Art Intern in the Creative Department at Teen Vogue Magazine. Having been a dream of mine to design magazine layouts to start my career, I was given the opportunity to be involved in the types of projects I was striving for, as well as far more than I could even image. I assisted with layout design for editorial print spreads, created and updated the design books that went home with the editors every night for review, as well as for Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Magazine. I contributed to pulling what we call “swipe,” otherwise known as inspo photos for mood boards for cover shoots and internal pages. One of my favorite projects to work on was pulling inspo from the Condé Nast (the publisher of the magazine) historical archives, which was a beautiful library, where we gathered and scanned preserved spreads from issues in the 1950s. It was before photography was put into print, so seeing the evolution of design from illustration and collage techniques, to where we are in present day, designing with digital tools and utilizing photography was an amazing lesson in the history of my field. The assignment that really grew my skills in typography, was designing custom drop caps for spreads in that same issue, which was an absolute dream to see my work in print for the first time. Those tear sheets will be a proud portfolio piece for me through the entirety of my career. Having this internship be my first professional experience in the corporate design world, it was a tremendous lesson in accountability, taking careful instruction from my supervisors, and working in a fast-paced environment with quick deadlines. Those lessons gave me the tools I needed to set me up for success in my first full-time role that followed. It is an experience that I will forever be grateful for.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

From the time I discovered my love for design and all things creative, I set myself out on a path to start a career in graphic design and strive towards being a Creative Director some day. I chose a degree in graphic design and graduated college with a well-rounded education in digital arts, graphic design, art history, film, photography, marketing, advertising and public relations. While I was in college, I worked for a local wedding photographer, where I assisted in photography and later learned film editing. I also worked in the film equipment facility at my university and took on internships at various magazines to really hone-in on my skills. I landed my first job at a national magazine, where I learned the ins and outs of producing a print publication, got an extensive understanding in technical design and also learned a tremendous amount about the photography industry, and working with vendors/producing and art directing shoots for the magazine. I built amazing business relationships in which I will carry with me for the rest of my career. After a few years working in magazines, I wanted to shift gears to the brand side of the creative industry, and started a position as a digital designer at a global skincare brand. There I learned ecommerce and web design from the ground up. That’s where I discovered I had truly found my niche – in digital brand design. I worked on projects including email design, site and landing page design, paid media, social, video, and design for digital products, including UX and UI design. I also conceptualized 360 brand campaigns, touching every aspect of the business. From there, I was recruited for my first Art Director position, as a Digital Art Director at another skincare brand. That is where I started to manage the design team and take on a larger role in the creative department. I currently work as an Art Director for a global skincare brand where I have reintroduced print work as well, fully rounding out the scope of my experience. I am continuing to grow my skills in all areas of creative, while gaining experience as a leader and cultivating key partnerships across the company.

Any advice for managing a team?

My advice for managing a team is to be very aware. I think it is important to be very in-tune with what your team members are working on so they feel valued, as well as how they are feeling about their roles and responsibilities. The most important thing I try to remember is how I felt when I started out and had so many things to learn and so many peers to learn from. We all started from somewhere and it was the understanding and mentorship from my peers that helped me to grow. I want to be seen as approachable, open-minded, and an inspiration to my team. I also think it is incredibly important to let your team members feel trusted. In a work environment, I believe we are all there for a reason due to our qualifications, and I feel that creatives tend to thrive when they feel valued and trusted. I like to give people the creative space they deserve to let them shine, while always being approachable and giving guidance when they need it.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It is just pure magic when you see your work out in the world. Seeing magazines that I had design work in on newsstands when I was fresh in my career is an indescribable feeling. I’ll never forget seeing the first magazine cover I ever art directed on a digital screen at the airport and having a surreal moment. When I switched to the brand side, seeing displays I had designed on department store fixtures, and photography I had art directed in retail environments and in digital mediums has been incredible as well. It is special to know how many people the visuals you have created are touching, and at the same time knowing what the entire creative process was like from start to finish. Since campaigns are worked on so far in advance, it is so exciting when you get to see the final product months later in various environments.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.alexaspeyerdesign.com
• Instagram: @alexaspeyer
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-speyer-65666141/

Image Credits
Elizabeth Dugan Creative Allie Ryann Photography