Sarah Lennon
Creative Director / Animator at Big Orange Planet
Denver, CO
www.bigorangeplanet.com/denver-web-design
instagram @sarah_rory_lennon
Q What do you do?
“I am the creative director, graphic & web designer, and animator for Big Orange Planet.”
I wear a lot of hats and work in a variety of software packages mostly in the Adobe, Suite- Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign. I create brands, logos, websites, animations, and more. If I were to try and pigeonhole a title for myself, it’d be multimedia designer.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
It started in London over 20 years ago when I took a class in web design basics.(things were very different then..) Not long after this I moved to the US and formed Big Orange Planet with my husband, a couple of big steps at once. Since then the biggest steps I’ve taken are learning new software and techniques, and always adapting quickly to our rapidly changing arena.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
Wealth of experience first and foremost. We often like to say “we’ve been here since the dawn of the internet”, which isn’t actually true but rings of truth. To elaborate, I was very heavily occupationally and emotionally invested in Flash by Adobe for many years. As the mobile phone rose Flash had to go, so I moved on to other applications for our building process.
The internet has changed immeasurably since I built my first website in 2002, I like to think I’ve matched those changes stride for stride.
Q What are you working on right now?
I’m putting the finishing touches on a couple of websites prior to launch, and laying out a new website for a new client. Also working on a branding package to include logo animation.
Q What’s your style?
Clean, intelligent, and well laid out design that captivates the audience. I guess a good example would be the last website I designed and also coded which is at www.lifepoint.com
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
My bread and butter has been website and brand design for many years. While I love the process and results I definitely would like a greater portion of my work week to be spent on animation and video creation, specifically in After Effects.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
I’m working on a project which I won’t name, whose stakeholders are extremely nit-picky. Its not a case of trying to improve things, which is of course a good thing. Rather its a case of “ordering changes because we can”. As they can be detrimental in effect, such changes feel like a backward step, and frankly a waste of resources.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Honestly it’d be to help with school pickup and dropoff. My husband and I drive in opposite directions for 80 minutes a day to get our sons to school and back. While this is of course our obligation and a pleasure, it definitely cuts into both our work days on an ongoing basis. Delegating some of this time to an assistant would increase our productivity substantially.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
To study graphic arts at University as opposed to archaeology. I always loved art but got a yen to become an archaeologist while watching Indiana Jones as a teenager. After I obtained my degree I worked on digs for about 3 years in my 20’s. While it was certainly rewarding in many ways, it was very poorly paid and didn’t further my subsequently chosen career.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Steve Jobs- I’d want to ask him how he managed to envision and implement such an exceptional brand.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Creative director opportunities, web and graphic design/branding, along with animation and video editing/creation.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
A client with a clear vision and excellent communication skills is always a great start. Engagement with a project that allows my creativity to soar, which likely involves a client eager to let it flow. My ideal client I provide the whole package- website, logo, brand, animation.
Q What is your rate?
Typically I want to stay in the $60/hour and above range. Given my wealth of experience in this arena, producing high quality deliverables in a short time frame is guaranteed.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
With a clear vision of what they want and the communication skills to make it happen. I prefer email initially but of course zoom type meetings can then be arranged when a good fit is identified. Email is bigorangeplanet@gmail.com and you can contact me through www.bigorangeplanet.com
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Banksy, the English graffiti artist- his work is controversial, inspiring and beautiful Its art for arts sake and he manages to remain anonymous.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Love what you do.
This member profile was originally published in May 2024.