Lucia Klander

Since beginning her career as a designer, Lucia Klander has learnt to be as emotionally strong as she is technically skilful. From building confidence around her practice to letting go of stubborn perfectionism, she’s picked up a lot along the way – especially after bouncing back from being made redundant less than two years after entering the industry. Today, she’s a junior designer at Dent Studio, with a creative conviction that’s firmly intact. Here, she shares how she navigated the highs and lows of her journey – and why trying everything has been key to her success.

What I do

How would you describe what you do?
I am a junior designer at Dent, a creative studio at the intersection of fashion, sport and culture. My work mostly consists of building and designing identities for brands to support their creative storytelling during activations and campaigns.

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
I see design as a form of research and visual sense-making, so found materials, objects and graphics that connect to the brief contextually or emotionally inspire me. As improvisation and adaptation are a big part of how I work, I collect, print, cut, tape and test them – it’s almost like building a visual case study from various contextual fragments.

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
I completed a degree in graphic communication design at Central Saint Martins – but while you can learn the tools of design at university, what really makes a difference is your ability to stay open, adaptable and confident in your ideas.

Emotional learning is just as important as the technical training. I’ve had to unlearn perfectionism, especially around not getting things right the first time, understand how to take feedback without letting it derail my creative roots, and get more comfortable with facing the unknown.

What’s been your favourite project to work on from the past year, and why?
I collaborated on a project called “Superstar Sessions” earlier this year with retail brand size? and Adidas Originals. It involved developing an identity that was used in an activation featuring the DJs Conducta and MJ Cole.

We built a whole extended narrative around the shoe that potential customers could engage with. All of the visual effects were crafted by hand through analogue printing techniques and then manipulated digitally to create something truly unique. The process was very experimental and I learnt so many new techniques from it.

What does a normal day-to-day usually look like for you?
Honestly, it varies massively. Working at a smaller studio is quite fast-paced and things can come in at different times. As much as I plan ahead, I have to be Slack-responsive and adaptable to different levels of pressure.

If there was a starter pack for your job, what would be on it?
My notebook full of half-formed ideas, a well-organised Arc workspace (lifesaver) and a bank of go-to references.

How I got here

What was your journey like when you were first starting out? Did you find your feet quickly?
Like every student, a massive task for me towards the end of graduating was finding a job. I started piecing my portfolio together while I was still in university, which was difficult to manage amidst my final year assignments and part-time work at Sainsbury’s – but it was so worth it.

This preparation helped me when I applied for roles and eventually landed me an internship at Mubi, where I gained the tools and confidence to explore what I really wanted from my design practice.

How did you go about landing your first few jobs or clients?
I sent lots of emails, chased people and created authentic connections. If you really want something for your design practice, find ways to speak to people who inspire you or are where you want to be – whether they’re a junior, a director or even a friend.

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
I got made redundant quite suddenly last October. While this turned out to be a blessing in disguise (it led me to the studio I now work at), it felt pretty overwhelming at the time. I’d only been in the industry for 18 months and wasn’t expecting to be looking for something new so soon.

That moment forced me to look at my portfolio and my practice with fresh eyes – not as a student, but as a professional designer. So I reworked the narrative of past projects to reflect where I wanted to move towards within the industry. It was an intense time, but it helped me gain clarity on the kind of work I want to do and the kind of environment I want to be in.

How important are social media and self-promotion to your work? Any advice or learnings?
Having a social profile has allowed me to share a more personal side to my professional practice. I’ve found that doing this shows employers you’re a real person with real interests – which can land you work in the areas that most grab your attention.

What are three things that you’ve found useful to your work or career, and why?
YouTube tutorials, working with good people and curiosity. YouTube because the technical learning never stops, good people because they help you grow, and curiosity because it allows you to explore outside your comfort zone.

Have there been any courses, programmes, initiatives, access schemes or job boards you’ve found helpful?
I’ve found all of my jobs through people’s posts on LinkedIn! After seeing them there, I would find them soon after on job boards.

What have been your greatest learnings with making money and supporting yourself as a creative?
Try everything – it allows you to experience new environments. When I interned at Mubi, I also held jobs at Sainsbury’s and a bar. During university, I worked at a Laser Quest and Costa Coffee alongside studying. Although these weren’t exactly where I wanted to be in my career at the time, it gave me a lot of social confidence, allowing me to be more open in sharing my work. Everything links up somehow.

My advice

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
Trust your intuition and instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s okay to say something or make a change – nothing is ever set in stone.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into a similar role?
My biggest advice is to talk to people. Speak with your friends and reach out to people who inspire you. Be curious about the workings of the creative world; don’t be afraid to ask questions or seek out advice. Everybody has been in your position at some point in time.

Also, try new things – whether it’s different design styles, projects you wouldn’t usually take on or different roles within creative teams. Experimenting helps you find what excites you while building your skills.

The more you put yourself out there, converse with others and explore different avenues, the clearer your path will become. You’ll also become more confident as a result, which really helps when putting yourself forward as a designer for projects you love.