5 Minutes with Carol from Mimpy and Co.

This will be the first in a series of interviews that drills into the people behind the Collective Network.

In our first edition of “5 minutes with..” we catch-up with Carol, our resident graphic designer from Mimpy and Co. In our 5 minutes, we get to know more about Carol’s past, her present and her prediction for tomorrow!

Let’s hear it from the lovely Carol.

What are the earliest memories you had as a child?

Mmm, one memory that comes to mind was when my foot got stuck while climbing a tree. Of course, I started freaking out and my parents ended up having to call the fire department to come down and cut the branch to free me. I swore to never climb a tree again haha.

Oh haha. Hella funny. Sorry to hear that!

So, is one of your parents a designer? Or did you have a close family member that introduced you to designing?

Neither of my parents is into design and no one in my family is within the creative line of work.

But my mother was always a fashionista, I think her sense of fashion and style had an influence on my creative side. My father is a headstrong man who served over 20 years in the military. So looks like I’m the only one in my family within the design industry.

And were you good in art as a kid? Drawing, sketching, craftwork etc?

I don’t know if I was any good, but I always looked forward to art class. It was one of the classes I’ve always enjoyed and really concentrated in.

And let’s now fast forward a bit. What was your first job?

My first job within the industry was working for a design studio in Perth. My boss was nice enough to hire me and give me the experience I needed to move forward in my career.

Working in the design studio I learned things that have helped me become the designer I am today.

Invaluable experience! And if you did not have to create a product or any work for a client, what would you be designing?

If I’m not doing design work for a client I usually work on my own marketing content, for example, Instagram posts, Facebook posts and updating my website.

But I’m currently brainstorming a series of prints to design for my online shop.

When you look back at the breadth of your work, what is the most common style / theme that constantly comes up?

My style has slowly evolved over the past years and is still being refined.

At this moment I aim for my style to be clean and simple, focusing around minimal colours with the strong contrast of black and white.

And can I just add that minimal black and white is working out quite well!

Why thank you.

And so what is your design process? How do you start and what are the steps to completion?

My design process consists of doing lots of research (online, magazines, books, asking people questions, etc.), then going to the drawing board sketching as many ideas and concepts as I can.

Once I’m happy with the sketches, I pick the designs that stand out and extend and continue working on them.

Then I’ll have a few concepts that I’m happy with and can present to my client.

From there I work with the client on improving and finalizing the design.

Nicely broken down there.

What happens if you are lacking inspiration. What do you do to spark creativity?

I try to change the scenery by getting out of the office. I’ll go for a walk and get some fresh air, grab a coffee at a local café, I’ll try and go to creative workshops, or if I’m feeling stuck I’ll catch up with like minded people and bounce ideas off of them to help get me motivated.

Do you dabble in music? Is music part of your design process?

When it comes to working alone in the office, Spotify is my best friend. I’ve always got it playing in the background and the playlists they offer are fantastic and keeps me from wasting time on picking tracks. It helps me get motivated and gets me in a positive headspace. Great for getting in the creative zone.

Good stuff.

And outside your work, are you into photography? Is there a particular subject that you like taking?

Photography has always been an interest to me and it comes hand in hand with design. It’s hard because all the photos I end up taking are for work.

But lately my photos all consist of my pug, she’s my new obsession and every moment needs to be captured with her because she’s so adorable.

She is very cute indeed :)

So who inspires you? Who should we follow?

@furrylittlepeach is definitely at the top of my list. She has a major talent for illustrating and has a bubbly personality it seems — love her work.

@seekerloverdreamer Zoe Weldon, is a social media ninja with a vibrant personality, she’s great to follow because she’s fun and quirky, which I love!

We’ll definitely check those 2 out based on your recommendation.

Would you do anything else if you were not designing?

Since elementary school, I’ve always been drawn to being creative. Nothing else stood out to me, whether it was what I was wearing, to the layout of my bedroom, to DIY projects, I have always been creative at heart. I can’t imagine doing anything else, it’s definitely a part of who I am as a person.

Where do you see yourself in 3–5 years time?

I would like to expand Mimpy and Co. and have a team on board, along with running my own monthly publication focussing on creatives and their own businesses.

All achievable before that time!

Yes, haha.

And the final question: What gets you out of bed?

Lately, it has been my puppy, Mona Lisa, she wakes up bright and early at 6 every morning wanting to play. So the first thing we do is go for a walk to start our day.

Should’ve seen that one coming :)

We would like to thank Carol for all her contributions to the #dogtee initiative. We are over the moon with her incredible designs and very impressed with her collaborative spirit! More power to you Carol!

We’ll see you shortly in our next 5 minutes.