Creative Director, mentor and Women Unltd co-founder Sione Raaijmakers has had a very successful career so far, with over 20 years of experience in the design industry.
She’s worked for some of the world’s leading retail branding agencies including FITCH and Interbrand, and for the International Design Studio at Phillips. Sione completed her degree in the Netherlands and after a portfolio crit with legendary designer Wim Crouwel applied for the Royal College of Art with his recommendation. Soon after graduating she landed a junior role at leading retail branding agency FITCH and discovered her passion for retail, branding and packaging.
Talented and driven, Sione has managed the juggling act of having a career in the design industry whilst raising a family. It has not been without its challenges. Although never regretting her decision to have children Sione has experienced being passed up for promotion and moving to in-house roles for greater flexibility; for a while she feels her career stagnated. Although she accepted this at the time and acknowledges that life has different phases and priorities, Sione now thinks this shouldn’t have been the case and that more needs to be done by the industry to support women who decide to have children.
Feeling that a space was needed for women to meet and support each other locally, Sione, with Sweta Pathak and Diane Burdett, set up Women Unltd Birmingham in 2017. She believes that women have a stronger voice together and that it is important to have a platform where women can share inspiration and opportunities and empower each other through running talks, Q&A sessions, workshops and events. The group has been a good way to make contacts in the wider design community and alongside initiatives such as the Birmingham Design Festival and Ladies Wines and Design, has helped put Birmingham on the design map.
Passionate about collaboration, Women Unltd have recently launched the podcast series Unfiltered with the group We Are Outspoken, which aims to, ‘shine a light on the honest truth about being a woman in the creative and marketing industries.’ Episode topics are based on current industry issues and include money, working from home, the baby culture and the transition from university to industry. The combined viewpoints of We Are Outspoken who are a group of younger female creatives at the beginning of their careers and Women UnLtd who are more established makes for very interesting listening.
Sione is also concerned about the lack of diversity in the industry and has written several articles on what can be done to help change this:
www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-ways-make-your-design-work-inclusive-sione-raaijmakers
www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-create-inclusive-company-culture-sione-raaijmakers
www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-things-you-can-do-make-design-industry-more-sione-raaijmakers
Unfiltered podcasts:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3516Bei0J9zi55X01dHhxN?si=WOz7oC5jTvusvdDxdlO56w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/unfiltered/id1502135088
We chatted with Sione to find out more about her experience as a woman working in the design industry and to find out what drives and inspires her.
Tell us about the career path that got you to where you are now.
After my graduation at University in The Netherlands I decided to continue studying, but this time abroad. Through a family friend I managed to get a portfolio crit with the design legend Wim Crouwel and he suggested applying for the Royal College of Art in London. I applied and got in. Luckily, I managed to win a couple of art grants to cover the costs (tuition fees are so high in this country!) so I could continue my design journey in London.
After my graduation at the RCA I had a lucky break and found a job at FITCH which was/is a large well-known retail branding agency in London. I loved my job there and got a great start in the industry. During my time at FITCH I had a female creative director who was a great role-model for me. I haven’t had a female CD since, quite a sad state of affairs.
After a few years at FITCH I decided it was time to go back to The Netherlands. I found a job at Interbrand in Amsterdam and stayed there for a number of years. Later I moved to design in-house at a large retailer and eventually Philips Design, the in-house design department of Philips Electronics. My family and I were missing England very much so we moved back 5 years ago and I continued working in branding and retail here in Birmingham.
My career path has been coincidental and not planned at all. I did not set out to end up in branding and retail, but I found out along the way that this area suits me best. I have had a classic path of starting as a junior and then over time gaining experience and expertise and growing into senior roles. I tended to make a career jump when I moved to a new job. I have always worked longer at places where I enjoyed myself, liked the colleagues and could have a good fit with my life, especially when I had my kids. Recently I have become more picky about where I want to work and what I look for in a role and company.
You’ve worked in design agencies and in in-house roles. How do they compare?
What I like about in-house is when you work for one brand you really get under the skin of that brand and really go deeply into projects. Whereas in agencies you have to go much faster and only touch on the surface of the project because you usually do not have time to develop it further. I never found in-house boring and your clients are also your colleagues so you can push back more when timescales are unrealistic. I found it easier to manage an in-house role with having a family. There tends to be more structures, protocols and processes in place, whereas agencies can be more chaotic. This is particularly so with smaller agencies as they can lack structure and office practices. They can be too cosy so that boundaries between boss/manager and friend become blurred.
How has being a woman impacted your career?
At the start of my career I worked in environments that were not always very open or diverse. I felt that I wasn’t taken seriously all the time. Over time I learned to speak up more and make myself heard. I also tend to not stay long in companies where there is a macho/lad culture. I move on quickly. During my career I had one female Creative Director when working as a junior designer at FITCH who was very inspirational. But since then I have not had any female Creative Director.
I left Interbrand Amsterdam because I really had to battle to reduce my hours to part-time after I had my first child. In Holland part-time work is a right, it is not something that can be refused, but my boss at the time was still being difficult. After I became a mother and had my two kids I started working part-time and gravitated towards in-house roles as it allowed me to have a good work-life balance.
Looking back, working part-time has had a negative impact on my career. Not being considered for promotions and lacking time to network resulted in my career flatlining for a while. At the time I was ok with that but do think now that this shouldn’t have been the case. I accept that life has phases and each phase has its own priorities. Now that the kids are bigger, I find that my career is picking up again, but I find that I am generally older than most men in the same position.
Why did you decide to set up Women UnLtd?
Diane, Sweta and I felt there was a need for women to meet and support each other in the creative and marketing industry locally. At the time there was no opportunity to do this in Birmingham. We are from diverse backgrounds and have a mix of skills but are united by a common belief that through the power of sharing, women in the marketing and creative industries can support, inspire and empower each other and together have a stronger voice. Our activities range from workshops and network drinks to talks. Recently we have collaborated with WAO and launched a podcast series called Unfiltered that aims to discuss women’s experiences in the creative and marketing industry. We invite interesting and inspiring guests to join the conversation. Going forward we are broadening our activities to reach more women through online activities, virtual events and collaborations.
Recently, there has been lots of discussion in the industry around the gender pay gap and how few women progress into senior positions. As a Creative Director do you have any thoughts on how we can counteract this imbalance?
Companies have to address diversity in their teams at all levels. They need to start recruiting differently and develop talented women through mentorship and support. Companies also need to address the dominant culture and take initiatives that make it an inclusive culture for everyone. The leadership team sets the tone of the company culture through their behaviour. A diverse leadership team is vital.
In your experience, do you think there is equality and diversity for men and women across the design industry today? How do you think we can address this?
Diversity is a huge problem in the design industry, to be solely focused on women is limiting because a lot of equality and diversity issues overlap. Intersectionality of different groups can present additional barriers. For some women there can be the additional challenge of being a woman of colour and/or being LGBTQ. This can only be addressed by making company culture and leadership diverse and inclusive, which starts with hiring and ends with representation.
If you could go back to the beginning and start your career again, what would you tell your younger self?
Don’t worry about getting it wrong.
What advice would you give to women considering/starting a career in design today?
Speak your mind. If you feel like you are not being listened to, prepare to move on. Don’t get stuck in a place that is not appreciating you or is not making room for women. Don’t wait for the culture to change. Also, make sure you share your life with a supportive partner – the most important decision you’ll make for your career.
Can you name other female designers, architects, illustrators, makers, animators or creatives etc. currently working in the industry who you find inspiring!
- Liza Enebeis – Creative Director at Studio Dumbar. Fellow RCA student and flat mate, it’s great to see her do well.
- Sue Daun – Executive Creative Director at Interbrand, former colleague doing well.
- Jessica Walsh – Creative Director and owner of &Walsh and Sagmeister Walsh, such a distinct style, great designer and art director.
- Irma Boom – Dutch designer, has her own mind, makes great work, famous for designing books – I love beautiful books.
- Paula Scher – Pentagram New York – lovely work – so expressive and colourful.