Kaylan Tran is a Lead Interaction Designer at Kettle in New York City. With a nontraditional path into design—beginning in marketing before teaching herself Creative Cloud—she has built a career defined by adaptability and curiosity. Kaylan believes in separating ego from the work, championing inclusivity in design education, and embracing a lifelong “student mindset” to fuel creative growth.
Can you tell us a little about your first few steps in your career. Was there a moment or experience when you realised this was what you'd do as a career?
Creativity has always been a core part of my identity, for as far back as I can remember. A few years ago, I was looking through some of my parents’ old keepsakes and found my kindergarten application. Under “special talent,” it said “drawing/art.” But with that being said, I didn’t realize it could become a career until much later.
In my family, and the culture I grew up in, there was a strong emphasis on stability. Practical careers. Safe choices. And as the first person in my family to attend college, the stake was high. My creative interests were seen as just a hobby, something to do on the side.
I ended up majoring in Marketing because it felt like a reasonable compromise. However, during my first internship, something clicked. I realized I didn’t want to be the one writing the creative brief; I wanted to be the one designing it. That was the turning point.
From there, I started teaching myself everything I could. I spent nights and weekends playing around in Creative Cloud, watching YouTube tutorials, helping friends with branding for their school projects, and (secretly) applying for design internships.
That nontraditional start actually became a gift. Over the years, it gave me permission to bounce around and explore many different disciplines – from advertising, branding, photography, editorial, industrial design, to fashion styling – before I eventually found my way to product.
What lessons from your career have most shaped your style and approach?
In the earlier days, many of the roles and opportunities I encountered, I wasn’t technically “qualified” for on paper. That scrappy beginning taught me to be resourceful, adaptable, and to say yes first then figure things out as I went.
Looking back, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that no experience is ever wasted. All of your lived experiences – whether or not they feel directly related – end up informing your creative practice in ways you might not even realize at the time.
Even after I eventually received formal training, it became clear that many of the skills that truly shape a successful designer aren’t taught in school. Client communication, copywriting, negotiation, project management, and business strategy, those are often picked up through real-world experience; sometimes in roles that aren’t traditionally “creative” at all.
And they’re especially relevant in freelance work, where roles are fluid, you’re expected to wear many hats, and no two projects are alike. These kinds of transferable skills only grow more valuable as you step into leadership positions and take on more complex challenges.
Tell us about the core values or philosophies that guide your creative practice.
It’s learning to separate ego from the work. I’ve met so many incredibly talented designers that intertwine their identity and self-worth to what they create, leading to a vicious cycle of stress, doubt, and burnout.
In product design, the final result is never just yours, regardless of where the idea originated. It’s always a massive collaborative effort involving engineers, other designers, cross-discipline partners, leadership, and most importantly, the users. The beauty of product design lies in its human-centered nature, every solution evolves through ongoing feedback and iteration, nothing is precious, nothing is meant to last forever.
Once you let go of ownership and the need to control every outcome or prove yourself through the work, it becomes something you can shape, reshape, and grow with.
What needs to change, so emerging and under-represented creative professionals have more opportunity, are seen and heard?
Organizations need to have a deeper understanding of how the existing talent pipeline is formed and how it’s rigged against under-represented communities by design.
In a country where the cost of higher education is out of reach for so many, access to traditional design programs, and all the privileges that come with them, like networks, mentorship, resources, and prestige, is incredibly limited. That leaves a huge number of talented creatives on the outside, not because they lack potential, but because the system was never built with them in mind.
That’s why intentionality matters. If organizations want to diversify their teams, they need to look beyond the usual candidates and be willing to invest in creatives from unconventional backgrounds. These individuals often don’t appear in the standard hiring pipeline.
For organizations that genuinely care about inclusion, on top of overhauling your hiring practice, consider what initiatives and outreach you can channel your resources to to foster the next generation of creatives. For designers and creatives who are thinking about teaching, there’s real power in choosing to show up in spaces that are often overlooked. Consider teaching at a community college or joining inclusive, mission-driven programs where your impact can go a lot further.
How important is it that creative professionals find their unique voice?
It’s important, but it’s also a natural process. As a creative, you already have taste and a point of view, even if you’re not fully aware of it yet. The things you’re drawn to, the environment you live in, your experiences; all of that quietly shapes your voice over time. It’s really about being observant and learning to tune into yourself.
That said, especially as a designer, you’re often expected to be a bit of a chameleon. You’re solving problems for others, adapting your approach to different contexts. Even though I’ve developed a clearer point of view over the years, I still find it exciting (and fun!) to step outside of my personal “style” when the work calls for it.
Your voice doesn’t have to be a fixed aesthetic. It can be how you think, how you solve problems, or the kind of work you’re drawn to.
Tell us some of your favourite, creative professionals and inspiring places in your city!
What should emerging creative professionals keep in mind as they begin their design career?
Don’t be afraid to be bad at something. Everyone starts somewhere. The beginning is supposed to be messy.
In a field that’s constantly evolving, the best thing you can do for yourself is adopt a forever-a-student mindset. Stay curious. Ask questions. Try things that feel outside your comfort zone. That openness not only keeps you growing, it keeps you engaged, and hopeful, even when things feel uncertain.
Progress doesn’t always look linear, and that’s okay. Just keep showing up and making things. It all adds up.