Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katie Ehrlich. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Katie, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.
Most university design programs are focused on just that, design. Those creative thinking, iterating, and problem solving skills are obviously incredibly important to being a successful designer. But design is a unique field that requires half artistic ability, half entrepreneurial ability. When students reach out to me for advice, it’s never for critique of their work, but for direction in their career. How do I find clients? What should my portfolio contain? How do I write an effective opening email? How do I negotiate prices? What’s the average hourly rate? What should I include in a proposal deck? How do I get into a new area of design? These business skills are rarely touched upon in a design class, yet they are just as important to leading a successful design career as the art itself. I would love to one day lead a lecture series on these topics to really help young designers stepping into the field for the first time.
Katie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a freelance graphic designer and photographer originally from LA, now based in Brooklyn. Growing up, I always had a camera in hand thanks to my photographer dad. In high school, that passion led me to join yearbook, where I also fell in love with editorial design. By senior year I became the Editor-in-Chief and wondered how I could transition these passions into a career. After a lot of thought and research, I decided to pursue a degree in Communication Design.
After getting my BFA from WashU, I moved to NYC to join Sarankco: Creative Studio. I had the chance to work on all touchpoints of a brand from big picture moments like logos and color palettes, to the more behind-the-scenes marketing strategies, to quick impressions on social media. I became comfortable working with and presenting to Fortune 500 clients such as American Express and Sephora.
While I appreciated that invaluable experience, I always knew my heart was in the world of print. After 3 years at Sarankco, I took a leap and accepted a design internship at the beautiful office of Garden & Gun Magazine in Charleston, SC. I witnessed the ins and outs of working in-house at a publication, I earned my very first byline, and definitely consumed far too much fried chicken.
That internship led me out of the South and back to Manhattan, where I joined the magazine design studio Point 5. Every client gave me a new area of print to bite into. Our redesign of Foreign Affairs delved into the nitty gritty of grid setup, template creation, and typeface research. For Stanford Business I puzzled together layouts, produced feature stories, and sourced and directed illustrators. Convene gave me my very first cover art direction. With the Smithsonian’s American Indian, I leaned into my photographic background by providing photo direction and a narrative eye.
Now I have officially been freelancing on my own for a little over a year. I love the flexibility and freedom freelancing gives me. I get to work on a huge variety of projects that I wouldn’t have gotten within an agency setting, including visual identities, photoshoots, book designs, and recently, restaurant menus. I now have the opportunity to collaborate with small studios on projects for larger clients like Google while also saving time for pro-bono and personal work. Instead of being labeled just one thing, I get to flex muscles in different areas and choose clients that value me for my diverse skill set and strategic thinking.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
“Freelance, and Business, and Stuff” by Hoodzpah Design is an absolute must-read for anyone going into freelancing or starting their own studio. It was my Bible at the start of my career.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Follow the passion. Right out of school, I could’ve easily made double the salary by going into UX/UI or tech instead of print. But I know myself, and I know that I’ll always do better work when I’m doing work I love. So I invested in the things I was passionate about instead of a higher salary, even when it meant taking a pay cut or a mid-career internship. I knew that experience would boost my portfolio and my skills to give me a leg up later in my career. I’m only 6 years out of school now, and a year into freelancing, but I’m already feeling the pay off of these choices.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katieehrlich.com
- Instagram: @katiejehrlich
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/ehrlichkatie
