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

Rae, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?

This is an answer less about my personal workspace and more about being inclusive in general public spaces based on the work that I do.

As designers, it’s our responsibility to make all spaces feel inclusive. In order to connect a person to a place, you have to start with the basics: Make them feel comfortable.
As an able bodied designer, it’s important to put myself in the shoes of people who have disabilities seen or unseen. It’s important to go through a site or look at a media platform and envision it as different users. There will probably be visitors and users who are in wheelchairs, individuals who are blind, or deaf, and it’s up to us to design tangible and digital spaces that are inclusive to everyone. In terms of architectural graphics, it means designing wayfinding, signage, and art installations that are accessible to everyone in ways the stimulate different senses as you’re going around an environment.

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

I’m at the very start of my career as an architectural and environmental graphics designer. Which sadly, means a lot of my work isn’t developed, built, and out there yet.

I’ve been interested in entering a creative field from a young age. I was the artsy kid in high school, so much so that I went to a performing arts program in order to continue my studies in fine art while getting my high school degree. My top studies and interests were psychology and art & design, so I knew I was looking to be in a field that fed that creativity while also having some kind of connection with people.

I didn’t know what environmental graphics design was until I was in my junior year of college getting my degree in graphics design and digital media. Until then, I was primarily focusing on UIUX design. Environmental design is like user interfacing in a tangible world. It’s all about connecting people to the place they’re in, making it easy for them to navigate their environment, and helping them take away core memories from those spaces. I was instantly hooked. I finished getting my degree while keeping in contact with some people in the industry, growing connections and networking to get my first position at a studio.

From there, I’ve been working on a various project, varying from residential buildings to public parks to retail centers, designing products like wayfinding and signage to navigate and connect people through those spaces.

I’m also a passionate illustrator and photographer and do a lot of personal work and commissions with some amazing clients.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being able to inspire other people has been such a rewarding part of my career. It’s amazing to work in a creative studio surrounded by other creatives who want to design impactful things with each other. And being able to create lovely looking products that others can enjoy and use is something that feels really gratifying.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Something I’ve heard people say time and time again is, “I wish I was creative.” To my core, I hate that statement. And if you’re thinking, “well, I can’t even draw,” I say to you, neither can a large percentage of the people in my field. Creativity comes from the way you see things and perceive things. You can train yourself to draw accurately but that’s a small section of what design is. Everything about being creative is about being a person. It’s about perspective and ideas. Everyone has a creative side to them that can be implemented into a creative field, you just have to find what that is.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raepetersondesign/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rae-peterson-design