Daniela Nicholson, Creative Director and Founder of Sed Estudio dishes out the goooooooods — with some fantastic advice for those starting out in design and what she's looking for in a great portfolio. Read on to hear about how Daniela started out and when she fell in love with design
When did you fall in love with design and how did you get started?
I remember two very important moments. I was lucky and had a great teacher, Miguel Bernal, and my first important moments are related to him. He gave me an amazing book called “A smile in the mind” and introduced me to classic designers with very long-lasting branding projects, like Saul Bass, Milton Glaser and Paul Rand.
The second moment was when I attended a Japanese poster exhibition in Lima. My eyes were happy, surprised, amazed. My jaw dropped and my mind opened.
I started as many others, doing logos for friends, for free. Then for friends of my friends, for a little money. And then some friends started calling me and wanted to pay for my work. That was the very beginning of something serious.
Give us the elevator pitch on what you do.
We add attractiveness and value to brands, based on sincerity. Working very close with our clients in order to understand what makes them better, different, special, important. Our goal is to make our clients feel connected and proud of their brand. We look for keywords, and then move to moodboards that transform into designs. But first, always keywords. We believe that is key to start a good project.
What do you look for in a great portfolio?
Witty thinking, humanity and a little bit of fun. We check if they put in the effort to explain who they did the project for and why they developed it in a certain way. It is very important that they show the process, not just the result. But actually very little of the portfolios we receive focus on the process. And, if they send a heavy pdf file and not a link, they are immediately disqualified.
What do you look for in a great client?
Growth potential, openness and clarity (knowing and being clear about what they expect from us). We feel comfortable when they show interest in the process, not just the result. The best clients we have worked with are the ones that worked with us. Collaboration is so important to achieve bold results.
We should find inspiration in our ancestors. And yes, by that I mean traveling to the stone-age, if necessary.
Where do you think design is heading in the next five years and how will you adapt?
I think there are two very important things. One: Understanding that our culture, the people and the things that surround us should play an important role in our output. We should find inspiration in our ancestors. And yes, by that I mean traveling to the stone-age, if necessary. But also studying different art and culture movements, objects and people that used to live in our same city, our same country. We already started doing designs inspired in our culture, we study a lot for each project and will start a program of team talks about Peruvian Art and Culture.
Number two would be: digitalization. Motion graphics and interaction. Thinking in identities that should move. Understanding that every communication action has a reaction. Now more than ever, with social media. Our team is trying new tools all the time, to understand and learn more about animation and website creation.
What advice would you give students starting out?
Talk to people. Ask a lot of questions. Try not to be shy, but stay humble. Hang out with people from different areas, different realities and different cultures. And when you get the chance, travel. As much as you can. Career-wise, look for jobs where you will have a great boss. Someone that you admire, and who could teach you not only about design, but also about values, processes, client relations, teamwork, leadership.
