Her Story
About Astrid
Astrid Flores is a graphic designer and brand ambassador based in Durham, North Carolina. She has been working in the field since earning her bachelor's degree in 1991, providing services across multiple cities including Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Puerto Rico, and North Carolina. Currently employed at Research Triangle Institute, a nonprofit organization, she creates public-facing assets such as flyers, digital emails, posters, and PowerPoint presentations for various federal agencies, emphasizing data visualization, accessibility, and user-centered design to ensure content engages audiences effectively. Previously, she operated her own LLC for 13 years, worked as a contractor for the NC Department of Health and Human Services for six years where she developed a nationally used brand identity for the Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and held roles with the government of Puerto Rico. She is completing a master's degree in digital communications marketing at UNC Chapel Hill by December. Flores is a member of AIGA, Creative Mornings, Adobe Creative Mornings, and Triangle USPA, and volunteers with the nonprofit El Futuro. She attributes her success to being a high achiever focused on quality, ethics, and human connections rather than competition, and values empathy, loyalty, and inclusivity in her work and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Astrid
01What do you attribute your success to?
I have always been a high achiever, making sure that whatever I do has high quality. I have never been paying attention to competing with others, but making sure that what I do works and it has a good response, and it's good for everyone, whether a friendship relationship or a professional relationship.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
When starting a project, make sure everything is error-free from the beginning so you don't have to go back and fix things later. Focus on the person, make sure everything is ethical, and ensure it helps human connections.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be compassionate for the clients or the audience needs. Evaluate the ethics when incorporating new technology. Pay attention to human connections needs, not just using technology but the ethics of what you're serving and the conditions of the person that will receive those graphics.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Clients trying to substitute graphic services using AI like Copilot, making everything the same without uniqueness. Need to advocate for more human interaction to supervise and ensure it serves the audience, is accessible, and engaging. AI may accelerate research but output may not be truly accessible or engaging.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Empathy. Being loyal. Making sure everyone is included, so inclusivity.
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