Natalie Barlatier

I've been working in graphic design for over 20 years, and I'm proud to say I went to school for what I'm actually doing now, which isn't always the case for everyone. I started as a production artist and have grown into my current role as a senior graphic designer, which I've held for 4 to 5 years. It's a world of difference from where I started, but I still tap into that intro role, the production side, because sometimes you just need to go back and do that foundational type of work. It keeps you learning and understanding and not being so stagnant on what you're doing. On a typical day, I already know what projects I have lined up, but there are always one-offs that are higher priority than others. Some projects take a high-level approach where you need to get them done sooner than later, and they sometimes come in randomly. You have to take the more concept-based projects as a backseat to the quick hitters that need to be done the same day they're given. I work with project managers who help align timeframes, but there are times when you just have to understand how to balance and multitask, doing the production stuff and the concept work at the same time. The most rewarding part for me is the people, the community, and doing group projects and brainstorming. You think you know what you're working on until you start talking about it and exploring different ideas by talking instead of keeping things to yourself. Having other mindsets and understanding how they would approach a project makes it flourish into something you didn't think of because you weren't siloing your own thoughts. That's what makes the work not boring and turns it into teamwork, where you can say you did something with a group versus doing it by yourself.