Meet Head of Creative — Cara Pedder
“Cara is both creative and commercial. She has a flair for marrying strategically led thinking and creative execution with an excellent eye for design and understanding of brand DNA”. — Senior Content Strategist, Sarah Harrowsmith
As feisty and determined as she is vibrant and full of ideas, our Head of Creative, Cara Pedder is always a force to be reckoned with. We sat down with her briefly to find out what drives her and to learn more about her work and aspirations.
Cara, can you tell us a bit about how you first got into design?
I really enjoyed art class in high school, and my parents wouldn’t allow me to take a gap year after matric — so I needed to find a course to enrol in. Seems a bit random now but everything happens for a reason.
And, so began your journey towards later being a stellar HOD?
Exactly. It’s been a process to get to this point though. I have been lucky to have lived for a few years in London, I managed to land some really interesting design jobs while there that helped to shape my career in the early years. I went from a junior web designer, into UI, to eCommerce, to social media. I have over 10 years experience now and every role I have worked in has taught me something about design rules and best practices that I have been able to take with me to my next role.
Along the way, what have been some of the milestones or achievements you’ve been most proud of?
The best feeling is always the one when I walk out of a client pitch knowing that we surpassed their expectations. I think there should be more credit weighted in those victories than award ceremonies.
Absolutely. While that recognition can be fruitful, it’s really the work on the ground that counts. You’ve clearly achieved a lot in your decade-long career, what personal traits or daily practices do you have that helped you do this?
I’m definitely the kind of person who works well under pressure. Being able to drown out the world with a good playlist, and get things done, has been my saving grace.
Over and above this, were there any mentors or colleagues who played a crucial role in your development?
While working in London my Head of Creative said to me “adding a drop shadow effect in Photoshop is a lazy way to overcome a design problem — there is always a better solution”. To be honest, that has stuck in my mind for 8 years now and I always look for ways to up myself from being a basic designer.
If you could offer any advice to young designers working in Cape Town, what would it be?
Don’t be lazy, stick to your deadlines — you need your team to be able to count on you. If you see something that inspires you, try work that into your next project and speak up when you have ideas in brainstorms — those are the sessions where you will learn to improve on your creative thinking and problem solving.
We’re glad you are a designer but if you weren’t, what else would you consider doing?
I would love to work with animals, being a dog walker and groomer sounds like an amazing career. In general, I like doing things outdoors!
Where do you hope your creative leadership role will take you going forward?
I would love to move into the tech/start-up industry. I could definitely see myself designing some rad apps in the future.
Could we see some examples of your favourite work?
Want to know more about Cara or the work we do at Perfomics? Contact us or view more on LinkedIn.
