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How did you first become interested in design? At first, I wanted to become a fashion designer, but my high school guidance counselor told me it was like trying to be a rock star. I had always been interested in design, even from very early on when I didn’t even know what design was. I would help my mom design our Christmas cards and create my own coloring books. In college, I originally focused on fine arts, but then found that the Fashion Institute of Technology had everything I wanted in a program. I got my advertising degree, and then realized it was graphic design that I loved.

What are some of your goals for AIGA? I just came back from an AIGA leadership retreat, so I’m especially excited about what’s in store for AIGA this year. It’s our centennial year, and there will be lots of changes—everything from a new headquarters in New York City and a new executive director to a fantastic board with five new members at the national level.

The main goal of the AIGA has always been to advance design as both a professional craft and a strategic advantage in business. This year we will start to implement strategic goals we have been building for years. I hope to push us to be bolder and try new things, and deliver on our promise to serve as advocates for a greater understanding of design. We have a big focus on growing membership, and on diversity and inclusion programs. This includes the work we started with the Women’s Leadership Initiative.

The local chapters of AIGA continue to contain the most important people in the organization. They are really what make AIGA tick because they live the mission day to day. It was amazing to hear how the chapters are bringing some of the national programs to life at the local level, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for them.

It’s a really exciting time to be coming in as president. There is so much history and authenticity within the organization that has made AIGA what it is today. I want to see us not only celebrate that history, but also figure out how to bring vitality into the organization, capitalize on our new initiatives and make AIGA even stronger.

How do you hope to bring more women into design leadership positions? Mentorship is a huge key to success and has personally helped me get to a leadership position. As a young designer, I always longed for more female mentors professionally, because in my personal life I have so many, and grew up surrounded by very strong women. As a result, I go out of my way to mentor women who come into the firm. It’s also important for women to find their own true voice, to be authentic to themselves as designers. I’m a big believer that great leaders come in all shapes and sizes. This comes naturally when you find your voice.

More formally, as the co-chair of AIGA’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, we have created a program designed to foster leadership skills in women designers. We focus on the objectives to celebrate, cultivate and connect. We don’t celebrate women’s achievements in design enough, and as a result, the industry lacks awareness of the women doing great work. We need to have more women judging awards and speaking at events and being more vocal about their great work. The cultivating part is focused on building skills and the right environment for women to succeed. And lastly, connecting stems from mentorship and building relationships women can utilize for their own careers.

In your role as co-chair of the AIGA Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), what common or recurring issues did you see designers struggling with, and how did you help them? As part of the WLI, we conducted a survey of the membership to learn women’s interests and pain points as designers. The number one thing we heard was the desire to have female mentors—more senior women so that other women can model themselves after them. Juggling work-life balance is also a constant question that women are struggling with, in terms of childcare and family time. And we received a lot of questions about negotiation, everything from how to negotiate raises, to navigating tough client situations. Women tend to be less direct than some of our male colleagues, which can hurt us in the negotiation process. We recently hosted a webinar on this very topic and had a great response.

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in your work, and what did you learn from it? There isn’t one big mistake that stands out in my mind, but one lesson I’ve learned that continues to be true throughout my career is learning how to listen but then go beyond what the client is asking for. Clients are the best resource you have for really understanding their business and internal culture. Sometimes they may think there is something they want (or don’t want) and it may feel like you are listening to them by just doing exactly what they ask. It’s our job as designers to listen, but to then help our clients solve their problems in unexpected ways.

What excites you about design right now? It’s such an exciting time to be a designer because design is evolving so much. It’s crazy how much design is in the public eye with everyday people talking and arguing about a logo or design on social media. There was a point when designers were nervous that certain design mediums would die, such as annual reports or more printed publications. But today, design is now less and less about the medium. I’m designing in areas I never thought possible.

Do you have any advice for young designers? My first tip is to be open to multidisciplinary approaches. It helped me to be willing to try all forms of design, because they all inform each other in different ways, and you can carry over your learnings from one aspect to another. The more experiences you have, the more you can think openly and creatively. Secondly, seek out a mentor, and not just when you are starting out, but though out your career, at all levels. Overall, I think the most successful designers are those who allow themselves to be open to learning, growing and reinventing themselves.
Su Mathews Hale is a senior partner in design based in Lippincott’s New York office. For more than two decades, Hale has thrived at the intersection of graphic design and brand strategy. She has worked with a broad range of notable clients, including Chick-fil-A, eBay, Hayneedle, Hershey’s, Hyatt, IHG, Liz Claiborne, New York Public Library, RadioShack, Red Robin, Samsung, Shutterstock, the U.S. Department of State and Walmart. As a senior partner in design for Lippincott, Hale works on global projects spanning the gamut of brand creation and identity development. She served as creative director on the famed Walmart rebranding, a massive repositioning and brand revitalization that updated the global retail giant while retaining the values of its heritage.
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