Sarah-Jane Louise Stringer
Sarah-Jane Louise Stringer
Designer / Photographer
Christchurch, NZ
www.sarahjanecreativestudio.com
instagram @sarahjane_creative
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I create beautiful brands, photographs and websites. ”
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
A lot of working hard, failing, learning and then working even harder. I went straight from school to Uni graduating with a Bachelor of Visual Communication Design and then off to the ‘real world’… Working as a graphic designer & photographer for a few years in many different environments, including an advertising agency, a media company, in house for fashion and real estate companies I tried it all… Until I decided ultimately that I wanted to go out on my own! That was three years ago and I have not looked back since! Now you will find me working from coffee shops up and down New Zealand, and around the world, or working from home in Christchurch, New Zealand with my dog and an episode of Friends playing on the TV.
How do you stand out in your field?
I love talking to my clients, really getting to know them before we even start the design process. This helps me to understand exactly what they want and need! I also believe I have a talent and an eye for creative, and I just enjoy the process, I think when you enjoy something, it really shows in your work.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
I have just finished photographing at New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland, so now I am back home in Christchurch, working on a couple of websites, one for a new apartment block in Brisbane Australia and one for a local florist. I am also working on the packaging design for a new baking mix range, this has been an awesome project as I started with creating the brand and now we almost have a finished project!!
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
My style is light and feminine with a touch of quirky, but this also varies depending on the client and their needs. You can tell a lot about my style by looking through my website I like to play with colour, and the simplicity of negative space.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
Creating brands, I am in love with this process, from getting to know the client, to creating mood boards, the development process and the brand guidelines, this is my happy place.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
I absolutely love working with my New Zealand clients, but I would love to pick up some more overseas work. I feel as though we are limited in New Zealand, with only 4.7 million people in our country so I would love to be able to reach new markets, as design is something I can do for anyone, anywhere!
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Oh I would love that! I would ask them to do the accounts and also some business development, if I could just have them out there finding new clients that would be awesome!
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
When I first graduated from Uni I thought I had landed my dream job working for an advertising and design agency, but I ended up hating it, I even considered giving up design altogether. If I could go back to that moment I would tell younger me (who was probably crying in the toilet) that it is all going to work out perfectly, everything happens for a reason and you are going to end up exactly where you need to be!
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
I would love to figure out the art of selling and business development, I still find it quite hard to put myself out there & sell my services. I also find it extremely hard to talk about money!
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
I love working with passionate and driven businesses who have big dreams, and are working hard to achieve them. I am interested in Fashion, Food, Animals (especially dogs) Art and Travel. I love creating brands, websites and photographs.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
I love the feeling when you meet a client for the first time and you just click! When your creative ideas just align, that is when the magic happens.
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
I have a range of different brand and website packages that you can check out on my website & remember it is all in New Zealand Dollars.
For graphic design and photography rates they vary depending on the project, I am happy to give a quote via email.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Flick me an email or message me on Instagram.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
NATURE, the ocean or the mountains.
This member profile was originally published in October 2019.