Recent graduates and childhood friends, Laura Tobin and Imogen Leonard have joined forces to found Point of You magazine. The platform aims to be a space where she/they creatives feel celebrated, inspired and part of an online community. Counteracting the gender imbalance within the creative industries and inclusivity are at the core of their ethos. They focus on creating a safe space where women, trans and non-binary creatives can feel inspired and make connections with like-minded people.
We recently chatted with Laura and Imogen to find out more about why they decided to launch Point of You, their careers so far and thoughts on counteracting the gender imbalance within the design industry.
We are big fans of ‘Point of You’ magazine. What were your main motivations behind founding the platform?
Thank you! We are happy you guys enjoy our platform – Design by Women was a huge inspiration for us.
The main motivations behind POY are to support creatives and inspire those yet to make the dive into the industry. We wanted to create a community that would offer women, trans and non-binary people a safe space to feel inspired and connect with like-minded people. Both of us had a gap in our lives after graduating from university and wanted to spend the time doing something purposeful that would make an impact.
During her degree, Laura worked on a project called ‘Her Story’ and wanted to do something similar but expand it into an online magazine. This would’ve been a lot of work for one person, so we both decided to join forces to work on the project and bring our different creative backgrounds together: Imogen (film and illustration) and Laura (photography and graphic design). We also have a shared passion for feminism, uplifting others and creativity.
Launching an online magazine was exactly what we needed, having experienced graduating during a global pandemic, and after much deliberation for the name, ‘Point of You’ was born. We’ve been friends since we were 16 – so it’s been a long time coming to pursue a project that we’re both so passionate about.
“We wanted to create a community that would offer women, trans and non-binary people a safe space to feel inspired and connect with like-minded people.”
What is the ethos behind the platform and what are you hoping your audience will get out of it?
Our ethos is to create an uplifting space that is not only for us, but also for our audience to benefit from. One aspect we never want to compromise on is inclusivity. We felt there was a lack of creative platforms that weren’t just aimed at ‘women’ but also create equal opportunities for trans and non-binary creatives. We want our audience to make connections and find inspiration from the other amazing creatives we feature.
Point of you strives to build a community inclusive of all she/they creatives no matter their discipline, race or sexuality.
“We want our audience to make connections and find inspiration from the other amazing creatives we feature.”
Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the visual identity for the platform?
After several meetings at coffee shops and debates about the visual identity, we decided on bright, positive and eye-catching colours. Our goal is to be inclusive, and therefore, we wanted the colour palette to be open and not reflect any gender stereotypes. The logo came about after many ideas were discussed, “too pretty”, “too boring”, “too girly”, until we settled on a circle made of holding hands – this symbolises our community and celebrating creative stories and success.
For our typography, we chose a bold, yet simple font that’s easy to read. As well as wanting a visually interesting and eye-catching identity, we also didn’t want it to distract from the work that we feature in each article.
We’d love to find out a bit more about you both. How have you both grown and developed throughout your education and careers so far?
Hello, I’m Laura! I graduated this summer after studying Photography for four years at Edinburgh Napier University. Despite having a degree in Photography, I would refer to myself as a ‘creative juggler’, as I always have many plates spinning. I’m currently juggling graphic design, illustration, and photography.
Ever since I was little, I have always enjoyed being creative. When I was young, my nana used to design wedding dresses and, whenever I visited, I would ‘design’ (draw with crayons) tiaras to match the dresses. I think that this is the earliest memory I have of showing an interest in the creative industries.
Throughout my teenage years and whilst at university, I had my heart set on pursuing fashion photography. However, I’ve realised I prefer the research, editing and sequencing aspects more than physically taking the photographs. After being furloughed and bored during the pandemic, I began to think more about life post-university and what I really wanted to do. During this time, I started an Instagram account dedicated to experimentation, opened an Etsy store selling handcrafted notebooks and prints, began networking with creative individuals and became more aware of the endless possibilities and opportunities within the creative industries. I also began dipping my toes into other creative fields and expanding my portfolio.
Since graduating back in June, I have decided not to rush straight into a creative career. Currently, I’m a Barista by-day (forever trying to perfect my latte art) and a creative project juggler by night. By constantly working on projects, I feel passionately about, and maintaining an online presence, hopefully in the next year or two I will find a little corner in the creative world where I can pursue what I love.
Hey, I’m Imogen (she/her), a 22-year-old from Glasgow. In June this year, I graduated with a degree in Film and Media from the University of Stirling. I studied different modules that sparked a fire in me, from feminist studies to digital journalism and global cinema. From when I first set out on my 4-year journey to obtain that prized piece of paper (a degree certificate) I aspired to work in the creative field. I have always been ambitious and driven to make a name for myself but graduating during a pandemic wasn’t exactly how I imagined it would be.
My university experience was definitely not as depicted in ‘the movies’ and I definitely don’t believe that it’s a be all and end all. However, I had to push through and I’m glad I did it for myself. In my final semester I completed my dissertation (13,000 words, I know) on ‘The success the #MeToo hashtag has had on the development of online communities for women’. Since doing so, the research has really affected how I create and given me the understanding of the power of social media (for good and bad).
My journey with illustration and digital design first started in June 2020. It was during the UK lockdown, and having finished uni for the summer, I needed a hobby to pursue. I finally purchased an iPad and started posting my progress on Instagram. I was surprised by people asking if they could purchase my illustrations, so I bit the bullet, ignoring the niggling voice that is imposter syndrome, and opened an Etsy store. I’m so pleased I did, it taught me to trust in my skills and I now treat my Instagram feed as a giant portfolio for creative projects. I was also recently asked to open a store with ‘Teepublic’, which features my designs on apparel and more… I also designed the latest front cover for ‘Disgraceful’ magazine – being able to contribute to other creative communities is something I’m passionate about.
So far, I’ve accepted the idea of not going straight into a job in the film industry, and realised this doesn’t mean I won’t in the future. Since graduating, I’ve been applying to every single job out there and after 80 odd applications and 8 interviews, I finally got one. I’m really excited about starting the next chapter of my career after spending years in education. Despite my illustration work having to go on the back burner a bit until I settle into my new role, I’m so thankful that I have a project like ‘Point of You’ to allow my creativity to keep on growing.
As emerging creatives, do you have any thoughts on counteracting the gender imbalance within the design industry?
We hope that our platform acts as a way of counteracting the gender imbalance within the creative industries because we focus on creatives that are less likely to have a position in the industry compared to their male counterparts. We think that networking is essential for smaller, start-up creatives to gain exposure. By supporting she/they creatives we are actively working to highlight a minority group within the creative community.
We also believe that if we use social media platforms in the right way, there are many other communities and movements out there that motivate and encourage women to thrive within the creative industries. It is also a safe space to share your work and have it seen by industry professionals.
“We think that networking is essential for smaller, start-up creatives to gain exposure. By supporting she/they creatives we are actively working to highlight a minority group within the creative community.”
Name your top five she/her and/or they/them creative crushes who have particularly inspired you.
Oh, there are so many! Tricky question!
- Katy Cowan is hugely inspiring to the both of us, especially when starting up with Point of You. She is the queen of online creative communities and is always doing wonderful stuff.
- We both greatly admire Jade Purple Brown! She does the most beautiful and bold illustrations that inspire the work that we both create. I mean, the colours she uses are to DIE for. She also reminds us that it’s important for women to unite and support each other.
- Florence Given is a HUGE crush of mine (Imogen) she’s a powerhouse of a woman and a bisexual icon. Also, she has influenced so many women on confidence and self-worth. If you haven’t, definitely read: ‘Women Don’t Owe You Pretty’ and follow her on Instagram, for some real-life advice and impromptu dance parties.
- Stefanie Sword-Williams (Founder of F*ck Being Humble) is a massive inspiration! Her book inspired me (Laura) so, so much with building an online presence and pursuing the side hustles that have been floating about in my head for a while. I can’t recommend her book and platform enough.
- Our last crush is the empowering Indya Moore. She is a trans woman, actress and advocate for women’s rights. She inspires us because she has helped so many young trans women to find self-acceptance and continues to use her million-follower platform to highlight real issues. Follow her and check out Pose on Netflix (it’s an amazing series about the evolution of ball culture and the gay and trans community in NYC).