Open Book: Claire Moore
Hear from Claire about pursuing design as a study, what ballet has taught her, and getting back into illustrating.
Open Book is a series of interviews where you get to meet our creative design team at Opendoor.
What do you do at Opendoor?
I’m a brand designer! I partner closely with our marketing team to design everything from multi-channel campaigns to signage in Opendoor homes. My focus lately has been to evolve the visual language and create a systematic approach to our organic social presence. I’ve also been art directing our very first lifestyle photoshoot to build a library of ownable images.
(Keep an eye out for a fresh new look in the coming weeks!)
How did you become a designer?
I’ve always loved drawing. I went to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where I studied illustration, with a focus on children’s books. In my senior year, I became increasingly interested in graphic design, and ended up bringing these two interests together by working in publication design at Scholastic. After being in New York for a few years, I decided to pursue an MFA in Graphic Design at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where I was fortunate enough to learn from Ellen Lupton — one of my design heroes.
After grad school, I moved to San Francisco to become a design resident at NEA and spent the next year freelancing from the connections I made there. Because NEA is an investor in Opendoor, I got introduced to the design team here, and I remember being very excited by the design-centric culture and the opportunities for creative ownership.
You mentioned you used to do ballet. How has that influenced your design work?
Ballet isn’t something you can practice casually — it requires you to practice most days of the week, multiple hours a day. It taught me to be dedicated and diligent. It also showed me how exercise is an important part of feeling inspired, having focus, and doing great work. Taking care of your physical health is crucial for your mental health and vice-versa. I don’t practice ballet anymore, but I get my exercise fix with SoulCycle, pilates, and yoga.
What can academia learn from business and vice-versa?
Academia gives you a lot of room to play. You’re constantly encouraged to explore new approaches and techniques — it’s a safe space to try new things and sometimes fail. Once you leave art school, you’re faced with business realities and multiple stakeholders for every project, so naturally you can feel more constrained creatively.
I think it’s important once you leave school to make sure you are still pushing yourself to learn new skills and engage in artistic endeavors like taking a pottery class or visiting galleries. These things only make you a stronger designer — don’t lose the spark that made you want to pursue design in the first place.
While in school, work on really crafting how you present your work and critique the work of others. This will only strengthen how you share your work with stakeholders who are non-designers in the future.
How do you want to grow in 2019?
I want to continue to initiate more projects on my own. After my first year at Opendoor, I’m learning that if you step back and look at the big picture, you can create opportunities to do great work. I want to continue to think systematically about the challenges we face at Opendoor to create solutions that last.
Outside of work, I want to look at screens less, and make stuff with my hands more. I’ve cut back on social media and I’m spending more time exploring the city and California. Lately, I’ve been walking up Bernal Heights after work. Seeing the fog roll in and the beautiful mixture of colorful houses on the hilltop — that’s what gets me inspired.
P.S. If you liked what you read and are interested in learning more, check out our jobs page! We’re always hiring.
