Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Croibier. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I think I always knew I was a creative person, before I ever even knew you could make a living out of it. I always had an attraction for things that stood out, sometimes out of beauty, sometimes out of disruption. I had a thing for things that forced you to look at them and have an opinion about it.

I also had a thing for convincing, I think. As a kid, my mom would call me The Negotiator because I would never shy away from a debate.

When I was 9, I met with the head of my hometown’s transit system to convince him to make the subway pass reusable and rechargeable. I think that, without knowing it, that moment was one of the things that would lead me to do what I do now.

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

I feel like all of my past experiences and interests almost made me stumble into the industry. Before finding my way to Art Direction, I pursued photography for four years back home in Switzerland.
I loved how creative it was but felt as though I was missing something. It sometimes felt like making something for the sole purpose of it looking pretty, without a specific cause or person in mind. I long wanted to go into psychology, so when I came to art direction it felt like the perfect balance between both creative, meaningful, and strategic work.

I left the comfort of my hometown (Lausanne, Switzerland) and moved to New York in 2023. It was a shock at first. To speak in design terms (haha): back home, everything is sitting so straight on the grid. Then you get here and people are breaking the grid left and right, but almost with intent? That’s what made me fall in love with the city – it is inherently and irrefutably disruptive at its core.

I think what I’d want people to know about me is that I have a deep understanding of and care for people. And I believe that is what makes me good at what I do. Coming from a different background and then moving to one of the most diverse places on earth, I feel lucky to have been around such different characters who have taught and shaped me.

Now whether you ask me to think like an Alternative Berliner kid or a 60-year-old Texan man, I’d like to think I can put myself in their shoes, regardless of my familiarity with them.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Definitely. I think that as creatives we are given a voice that only few people have. It’s the power to put our vision out in the wild to reach a wide audience, and I think that with that comes a lot of responsibility. This is why I believe in holding ourselves accountable to who we work with and what we decide to put out there – even if that means saying no to some clients because a certain project might go against our own values.

Personally, I always try to carve some time out for non-profit, cause-led work. Eventually, I’d like that to be 100% of what I do. But I also believe in giving myself and other people grace on what “doing good” means.

Truth is that it is hard to get started out there, and you cannot expect everyone to only do purpose-led work straight away. What you can expect, though, is keeping room for it in your work-life balance and standing up for your values.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I think I didn’t realize how much we can (and should) lean on other creatives. I strongly believe there’s no better resource out there.

I was lucky to be surrounded by the most amazing and talented creatives in ad school. We all became good friends and support each other whenever we can. I think I was also touched by people’s willingness to extend a hand in the industry. I naturally came to find some amazing mentors I look up to and know I can always go to for advice. And I think that’s the beautiful thing about this industry – it makes you want to give back!

I know I trust my generation of creatives to be there for the next one, because we know how hard it is out there and what a difference it makes when you get a response to your email.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sarahcroibier.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-croibier-b1b7b7196

Image Credits

American Cancer society campaign: Art Director and Copy Writer: Sarah Croibier.

Orbit Campaign: Art Directors: Sarah Croibier and Elizabeth Phelps. Photography: Sarah Croibier. Copywriter: Ali Manning.

Poke The Bear and Heinz camapaigns: Art directors: Sarah Croibier and Elizabeth Phelps. Copywriter: Ali Manning.