Having started her design journey in France, Émilie Chen moved to London in 2009 to pursue her passion in a city that she loves. It took eight months of hard graft and determination before she landed a Junior Designer role at a branding agency. Since then she has carved a career path into a rewarding and multi-faceted one that plays to her strengths in both art direction and design. In 2014, there was a pivotal moment when she landed an in-house role with the National Theatre. Now a Freelance Designer and Art Director, Émilie has found her niche primarily working with clients in the publishing, theatre, and cultural space. Clients include the National Theatre, Penguin Books, Somerset House, BAFTA, and the Wimbledon Tennis Museum. She has a Domestika course on generating ideas for Art Direction coming out soon.
Alongside her day-to-day work, Émilie exercises her other passion – making the industry a more inclusive place, through mentoring, public speaking and being a volunteer organiser for Ladies, Wine & Design – a community group supporting and championing women and non-binary creatives working in the creative industry. As she tells DbyW, “You can’t be what you can’t see, so continuing to push for more representation is crucial in agencies and companies, and at every level of the business, but also in the design press, at design conferences, and in the design curriculum.”
We recently talked with Émilie to find out more about her career path, why she decided to move to full-time freelancing, and her thoughts on creating a more diverse and inclusive creative industry for the future.
What initially drew you to design as a career path?
My dad is an artist so I grew up surrounded by paintings and art books, and spent a lot of time drawing. But I couldn’t see myself becoming an artist. I wanted a job that would give me financial security and a structure to work within and that’s how I first became interested in design. After graduating high school, I did a year of MANAA (a preparatory year of study for people who want to get into design), where I tried my hand at fashion, interior, product, and graphic design – the last spoke to me the most because it combined my love of words and images.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey to where you are now. How did you land your first design role and any key pivotal moments that have helped you reach where you are now?
It’s been a very convoluted journey. I graduated in France during the 2008 recession, so it was tough. No-one was hiring. I alternated internships with periods working in school canteens, before landing my first role as a junior designer/artworker in Paris. I quit after nine months to move to London for good. I had done an internship there the year before and fell in love with the city. It was another eight months of struggle before I landed my second junior designer position – almost three years after graduating.
I worked for three and a half years at Pentland Brands on brand and retail projects for Speedo, Lacoste, Kickers and Ellesse. It was an interesting role because I got to learn art direction for photo and video shoots, as well as working on branding, packaging, environmental graphics and window displays projects.
The turning point came when I applied for a 3-month contract at the National Theatre in 2014. I left the application to the very last day because I didn’t think I stood a chance and was surprised when I was invited for interview. I was given a creative task to present and went beyond the brief (design a poster) to pitch the idea of a 360-marketing guerrilla campaign with an installation on-site. The head of marketing and the creative director were so impressed that they offered me a 12-month contract, which turned into 4 years!
I left to go freelance in 2018. One thing I’ve always wanted to do was book cover design, so I emailed several art directors in London publishing houses, and it led to five months at Penguin Books on Jim Stoddart’s team as a sabbatical leave cover. An absolute dream come true.
Since then I’ve been working independently, mainly on campaigns for theatre shows and book covers, but I’ve also worked on design projects for cultural organisations such as Somerset House, the Henry Moore Foundation, BAFTA and Wimbledon Tennis Museum.
What were the key things you learnt from your experience of working at the National Theatre and Penguin Books?
I think that like most design students, I thought I wanted to work in studios/agencies after graduation. But I ended up doing most of my career in-house, and it is something that I’ve really enjoyed. For one thing, there’s usually a better work/life balance, as well as a real opportunity to build relationships with your clients, because they work under the same roof as you. Then there’s also the opportunity to try your hand at different things in a way you might not do at an agency/studio where the work can be really siloed. At the National Theatre, while my focus was on the show images, I also got to design programmes, fundraising invites and exhibition graphics, rebranding pop-up food trucks and the youth theatre festival.
One of the most important things I learned from the experience is that I don’t have to choose between art direction and graphic design. Art direction gives me the opportunity to collaborate with incredible photographers and illustrators, and design allows me to stay a hands-on creative.
Finally, I love working in publishing and theatres because my main clients are creatives from other fields, which is really inspiring. Most of the time when I get briefed, the only things I have to work from are the scripts and some notes from the director or editor. There’s no set, no costume and often no actors cast at that stage, which makes it an extraordinary creative opportunity! I’ve ended up in a small niche and I recognise it is a very privileged position to be in as a freelancer: theatre projects now find my way, so I don’t have to actively look for that type of work anymore.
“I think that like most design students, I thought I wanted to work in studios/agencies after graduation. But I ended up doing most of my career in-house, and it is something that I’ve really enjoyed… there’s usually a better work/life balance, as well as a real opportunity to build relationships with your clients, because they work under the same roof as you… there’s also the opportunity to try your hand at different things in a way you might not do at an agency/studio where the work can be really siloed.”
What led you to become a Freelance Designer and Art Director and what have been the most rewarding and challenging aspects of this career route?
After 4 years at the National Theatre, I knew in my gut that I needed a new challenge, but I was also coming to the realisation that I didn’t want to ‘climb the career ladder’ because it would mean moving away from the craft that I love and dedicate most of my time to processes, managerial tasks, and office politics.
Once I made the decision, I gave myself eight months preparation to take the leap. I saved money every month, grabbed coffee with freelance designers I knew to ask for their advice, and started pursuing freelance opportunities on the side, so by the time I reached my ‘deadline’, I felt in a safe place to take the leap.
The most rewarding aspect of taking this career route is the control I have over my schedule and the type of projects I choose to work on. I work mainly on theatre projects, but I also pursue other types of work to keep pushing my creative practice. Most recently I’ve designed the graphics for an exhibition at Wimbledon Tennis Museum, and the visual identity for a landscaping company.
The most challenging aspects of freelancing are negotiating money, setting my terms and conditions, learning to turn down work or push back on unreasonable requests, and making time off and holidays a priority. I often sum these up as ‘being a good boss to myself’.
“The most rewarding aspect of taking this career route is the control I have over my schedule and the type of projects I choose to work on. I work mainly on theatre projects, but I also pursue other types of work to keep pushing my creative practice.”
Why did you get involved in organising the Ladies Wine Design London chapter and how have you built such a strong community since 2016?
Jessica Walsh started Ladies Wine & Design in New York in spring 2016. She was dismayed to learn that even though most design students were women, there were very few senior women around her. She came up with the idea of informal monthly meet-ups for female creatives. She took to her Instagram to spread the word and invited anyone who wanted to start a chapter in their city to get in touch with her team.
I loved the idea especially because I had been working mainly alongside men and was really curious to meet other female creatives. I’m an introvert and all the design networks events at the time in London (such as D&AD or Glug) were big, intimidating gatherings, so the idea of a small group meet-up sounded like the perfect format for me!
I was put in touch with Helen Friel, an illustrator who had also answered the call, and Louise Richardson, my colleague at the National Theatre. We started with monthly meet ups in quiet pubs or at the National Theatre bar. Little by little, the word spread out, and people started reaching out, offering to host us at their agencies, or with an idea for collaboration, so the group became bigger and bigger, to where it is today!
I think what sets LW&D London apart from other creative events in London is the intimate format. We keep numbers small so that everyone gets the chance to contribute. It’s when people feel safe enough to be themselves, and to ask vulnerable questions that real magic happens. When we’ve had high profile guests such as Astrid Stavro (then a partner at Pentagram), Kath Tudball (Creative Director at Superunion) and Claire Robertshaw (Executive Creative Director at Design Bridge), sitting around a table with drinks and nibbles, with no agenda, the conversations got really personal: they talked about things like who had inspired them when they were growing up, who in the industry they turned to for advice when they decided to make a career change, and how they juggle motherhood with their leadership position.
Another big point of difference is that there’s no hierarchy: we strongly believe you can learn from everyone, and anyone can come to us with an event idea, or to put themselves forward to be a mentor at our portfolio review events. People from every corner of the industry and every level of seniority have talked at our events – for example, in 2018 we ran a panel discussion about the experience of women of colour in the industry with Anoushka Khandwala, who was just about to graduate from CSM. Other topics that were brought in by members of the community have been Being an In-house Creative, and Designing for Good.
You have given various industry talks and guest lectures, at the London Design Festival and Central Saint Martins among others. Can you tell us why this is important to your practice and any particular themes that you’ve covered?
I’m an introvert, and therefore not a natural public speaker, but I’m really passionate about giving back, and I love sharing the behind-the-scenes of the creative process. Public speaking has also help boost my confidence, led to invitations to speak at CSM and UCA, and allowed me to meet amazing people that have become friends.
One of my favourite talk series is ‘Fail Better’, where 3 creatives share 3 stories of failures, and what they’ve learned from them. It’s easy to get discouraged when all you see is the polished, dazzling work of other creatives on Instagram, but hearing others share stories about rejections, impostor syndrome, or dealing with crises is not only refreshing, but it also helps to make peace with your own mistakes. I spoke at one of their first events, and this is a topic I’ve tried to incorporate in my talks ever since, especially when speaking to students.
“One of my favourite talk series is ‘Fail Better’, where 3 creatives share 3 stories of failures, and what they’ve learned from them. It’s easy to get discouraged when all you see is the polished, dazzling work of other creatives on Instagram, but hearing others share stories about rejections, impostor syndrome, or dealing with crises is not only refreshing, but it also helps to make peace with your own mistakes.”
We’re really excited about your up-coming Domestika course. Can you tell us more about it?
Thank you so much! The course is about generating ideas for art direction. The first part is full of practical advice on how to build a personal inspiration library, how to draw creative lessons from the work of people who inspire you beyond aesthetic choices, and two fun warm up exercises to get students to loosen up, by being playful and by looking at their environment with fresh eyes.
Then there’s a creative brief to create concepts for a theatre poster. But the advice can be applied to book covers, film posters, editorial illustrations, advertising or branding briefs. I guide the students every step of the way: how to read the brief, mood boarding, sketching as many ideas as possible, editing and refining, until you’re ready to present to your client.
I haven’t been given a release date but I’m hoping the course will be out soon.
What challenges and barriers have you faced during your career and how have you overcome them?
What changes would you like to see that would create a more equal and diverse creative industry for the future?
There are several challenges, starting with barriers to entry: the cost of design education is really high, so it’s important to have alternative entry routes into the industry (like the D&AD Shift programme). It’s also important to spread the word and to support 1) mentorship programmes for people who are considering a career in the arts and people looking to advance their career (like Art Emergency, the Arena, Kerning the Gap and She Says, Who’s Your Momma) 2) creative networks, like Ladies Wine & Design, where people can ask for advice, share jobs and find community.
You can’t be what you can’t see, so continuing to push for more representation is crucial, both in agencies and companies, and at every level of the business, but also in the design press, at design conferences, and in the design curriculum. How many women designers do students learn about beyond Paula Scher?
Finally, while a lot of companies have worked to hire more diverse talent in entry level roles, a lot more needs to be done to make sure that workplaces allow everyone to thrive, and to feel supported at every stage of their lives, including during pregnancies, the menopause, or periods of mental health struggles. I think a big issue is that most creative agencies / studios are small to medium size, with no HR departments or unions. However imperfect these solutions can be, it’s an even bigger problem when people have no one to speak to but their boss/manager when something happens. What chances do they have of being heard and treated fairly?
“You can’t be what you can’t see, so continuing to push for more representation is crucial, both in agencies and companies, and at every level of the business, but also in the design press, at design conferences, and in the design curriculum. How many women designers do students learn about beyond Paula Scher?”
Do you have any advice for women and under-represented creatives looking to progress and develop in their careers?
The best career advice I was ever given is to focus on developing your strengths rather than trying to fix your weaknesses. It’s easy to obsess over the things we’d like to change about ourselves, or to beat ourselves up over the things we think we should be better at, but shifting your focus to the things you’re naturally good at is the best way to boost your confidence and to remind yourself of what makes you unique.
The other big advice I would give is to stop comparing yourself to others. Everyone is on their own journey, and that journey will look very different from one person to the next. It took me almost three years to land my first junior role in London! I think my story shows the time it takes for you to get your start doesn’t determine your worth as a creative, or impact the trajectory of your career.
Finally, being a creative can sometimes be tough for your mental health, so find your support network and surround yourself with people who inspire and champion you. Best of luck on your creative journey 🙂
“The best career advice I was ever given is to focus on developing your strengths rather than trying to fix your weaknesses.”