We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Danielle Harris. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Danielle below.

Alright, Danielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

I think it’s fair to pinpoint something my specific school did well and something I think it, and many schools, need to work on.

First, what I appreciate about my program. My design program was competitive, meaning, you had to complete an entire first year of design school and related art courses before you could apply to the Graphic Arts degree program. Each year 16 of 75ish applicants got in. Lucky for me, I was accepted and once I graduated, I went on to have a really fun, enriching and life-changing career. However, doors opened for me not just because I was a decent designer, but because of the specific skills I acquired due to the hard work it required to get in my program. As stressful as it was the year I was competing, it’s where I developed strong work ethic and professionalism at a young age along with a deep passion and gratitude for design and the opportunities I was given. As someone who has now hired other designers and who knows some of the most successful designers and teams, I believe the designers who come humble, hardworking, open minded, willing to listen and able to collaborate are the ones who find the most success and happiness.

Second, what could have been better. Like many schools, my program was focused on making us great at the aesthetic delivery but barely focused on strategy or process. I assume they imagined we’d end up on traditional teams where there’d be a seasoned creative director and strategist to aid in this teaching, but, smaller teams had become the norm, many didn’t have strategists, many creative directors didn’t have the full suite of skills required for their position, etc. Freelancing was the dream but it was also a nightmare because I, like most new designers, had no idea where to start, how to defend my ideas, or how to lead a client through a bullet proof process so we’d be aligned and happy throughout the project. For this reason, I think all design programs should require a strategy course and instill the important of process, mimicking real-world agencies who are making the strongest work. Now that remote work and freelancing is at an all-time high, it’s more important than ever that a designer can function like a small, strong team themselves.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Today I’m a multidisciplinary Designer and Director living in Los Angeles. After a fast paced, 10-year career working in-house for a wide range of beauty, fashion, interior design, tech, and beverage brands, I found myself being hired as a consultant for a number of start-ups and more established companies, helping them elevate their brands, packaging and online experiences using the experience I had gained. Having always worked on one brand at a time, I quickly fell in love with the variety of projects and in 2018 decided I should give my practice a name. A few months later Look Look Studio was born with the hope of resonating with more people and elevating my services through creative collaboration with writers, strategists, and other industry experts.

Today Look Look Studio stands for thoughtful, contemporary, and tasteful brand experiences that are fearlessly themselves, emotionally and culturally relevant, and brilliantly strategic in equal measure. We’ve always gotten by on referrals from previous clients and thus tend to get waves of certain types of projects. We’re currently working on a ton of new health food brands and packaging along with several concierge medical care practices and a fashion brand from Congo! Even cooler, all these companies are being built by first-time female entrepreneurs who we’d love to be friends with. It really doesn’t get better than this and I’m very grateful to all of the other female studio owners who inspired me to start my own.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I never intended to become a studio owner, I only knew I wanted to make really good work and I was always mystified how other designers I followed on Instagram did it. One day it occurred to me that if I wanted to know, I was going to have to ask. And so as shy as I can be, I DMed a designer I followed and asked her if I could buy her a coffee and pick her brain about her own experience. She wrote back quickly just as excited as I was to talk — it turns out running a business by yourself can be isolating and just about everyone is thirsty to trade stories and learn from one another. We met and over that one coffee, I gained years of wisdom and confidence that I often credit it for where I am today. Additionally, she and I have become life friends and often refer each other to clients when we’re too busy to take on more work. All to say, one of the biggest resources to consider is your community. Not just potential clients or connectors, but your peers, role models and even competitors.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Without having had a job or two at nationally notable brands, I’m not sure Look Look Studio would have the success it’s had today. My time at Blue Bottle Coffee where I worked as the first in-house designer helping transition the brand from a gritty Oakland cafe to one that feels much more in line with Japanese minimalism would be the most impactful. Lucky for me, Blue Bottle had already built a strong reputation for good design when I arrived, thanks to its founder, and it only grew exponentially from there. Once I decided to leave, LinkedIn allowed many Bay Area start-ups and recruiters, those who were the most impressed by Blue Bottle’s design because that’s where Blue Bottle originated, found and recruited me for freelance opportunities that helped me stay independent. The second most important factor that has inspired our reputation has been our dedication to working closely, authentically, and hard by the side of our clients starting new businesses. We never launch a brand our clients don’t love as much as we do and we love to support them as they grow, cheering them on and guiding them along the way. These clients refer us to new clients and we’ve relied on this model for work since day one.

Contact Info:

• Website: loolookstudio.com
• Instagram: @looklookstudio
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aboutdaniellejharris
• Other: https://www.behance.net/looklookstudio

Image Credits
None. Most are 3d renders. Some I took.