Kristen Hewitt
Associate Design Director
Chronicle Books
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I worked for a small design firm I loved for 5 years, designing and learning so much.
The dot-com bubble burst and I was laid off.
I went to work for a company designing packaging, but was creatively unchallenged.
On the side, I started my own line of stationery, selling it at craft fairs and as gifts to friends.
My company moved their creative dept. to the east coast, and I was laid off (again).
I saw a job posting online at my dream job and emailed every person I knew who had a connection.
A friend had given the person I would interview with a set of my notecards, which got me in the door
I went through two three-hour interviews, did well, and got my dream job!
Education
High School
Career
Associate Design Director
I am designer at a publishing firm, designing books and gift products.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Design
Art
Working with Others
Day to Day
I typically get to work between 8 and 8:30 in the morning. Over breakfast and coffee I read through email and look at blogs on my daily read list. I usually have about 2.5-4 hours of meetings a day. I do my design work in between those and get a ton done after 5pm when people start leaving for the day. I usually leave work between 7:30 and 8:15.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
In high school, my parents had me visit with different design professionals and interview them to see if this was in fact a career that I might like to have. Design is such a diverse field that it's nice to get a sense of what area of design you might like to study. While art schools are definitely great and offer a lot, they are expensive. I went to a state college and got a great education. Make sure you take advantage of opportunities that you hear of. Choose a school that is right for you.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
