So…who is Sarah?

When I was little, and was asked the question “what do you want to be when you’re a grown-up?”, I didn’t want to become a nurse, fireman, or astronaut…I wanted to become an artist. I was always making things, drawing things, creating things, and would show anyone who I could get their attention. Yep, this meant I made picture books I wanted put in the library at school (oh dear…I was six and thinking I could change the world!), I made a dollhouse for the girl across the road (because she didn’t have one), and made a Spice Girls version of Monopoly (hahaha I don’t believe I’m writing this…) for all my friends to come over and play. Every time I made something, I cared so much about the audience I was making it for…and even then, it was to fulfill a need. I never realised any of this until recently, but it seems to be that design was always in my blood.

I didn’t understand what design was when I was in primary school, so an “artist” seemed the closest explanation at the time. I thought I would be totally in heaven if I got to draw for the rest of my life! It’s very different now…but I still love to draw. Funnily enough, design didn’t really come from my parents. Mum’s a radiographer and a Dad’s a jeweller…and they would have preferred me becoming a scientist or something that seems more “academic”. But they know where my passions are.

Today, I still love to design for an audience. In design, we are most often creating something for a specific market, but I crave human interaction with design – not just making something because it looks good, but making something that people need or want, and seeing how they interact with such products – whether it be a book, or a toy, or even a toaster. User-centered design, I guess. I love working with the client, even when they give you crazy headaches on insane ideas they think of…but I love the challenge. I want to design for real people, the normal person – not just high-end design. I love the look of high-end design, but my heart isn’t in it.

I see design as a quest of making life less complicated.

If you want to read the formal/boring version of my resume (like the details of the lovely places I’ve worked), you can download the PDF here: Sarah’s CV

Cheers.