Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Christopherson.
Hi Dana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Ever since I can remember I have always had a craving to make things and had an especially keen interest in the alphabet. As a kid, you could catch me writing the alphabet or my name over and over in different styles while waiting for the family computer to connect to the dial-up internet. Looking back I think that’s really where it all began.
In college, I took a type design class that reminded me of my love for letters. At the same time, hand lettering was starting to really get popular (my Pinterest was filled with Jon Contino and Lauren Hom’s work) and had sparked my interest. So, I decided to do 365 days of lettering where I would letter something every day for the whole year. At the time, I was so proud of what I was making (though now, it’s humorous to reflect on), I was learning new styles, discovering more lettering artists, and finding a passion I could surround myself in.
This love for lettering remains core to my personal work and has always been something I’ve done to fill my creative cup. After working all day on the computer it’s always nice to come home and relax with a good ol’ pencil and paper (although now I have moved to the iPad the majority of the time).
As for my 9-5 work—my first job out of school was as a junior graphic designer at the Milwaukee Art Museum where I was making exhibition graphics, campaigns, wayfinding, and a handful of different print materials for the internal departments. After a few years at the Milwaukee Art Museum, I decided Minneapolis was where I wanted to be. I applied for a designer job within Target Creative and found myself in a moving van a month later! Now, I was in a new city, at a new job, and ready to make big and exciting things. Over the last four years at Target Creative I’ve designed and art directed gift cards, worked on seasonal print and video campaigns, art directed murals with local artists across the country, and collaborated with some incredible folks internally.
At the end of the day I believe in making cool things and telling important stories. Whether it’s a lettering post for my Instagram, art directing a Target store mural, or working on a brand campaign, my goal is to brighten people’s lives, bring new perspectives, and create conversations.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Not smooth at all! I think my biggest struggle has been understanding my talent and worth (hello, imposter syndrome) throughout every step of my journey. I almost changed my major after my first semester to drawing because I felt I was horrible at design. Let’s be real, few people are “good” at design school in their first year! But it’s the persistence and passion that counts; it’s the drive to keep learning and growing that has kept me going. I still feel that imposter syndrome today, but it’s a little quieter. It’s a learning process and something I try to reign in when things get stressful.
I also struggle with burnout. As a creative, my work and my hobbies co-exist and intertwine. It can be hard to make a clear distinction between work and play especially in the last few years after abruptly moving from working in an office to working from my small one-bedroom apt in 2020. In the last few years, I’ve learned that what I create for work is different from what I want to create for myself, on my own terms. Both are important to me, and both can hold their own space in my life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Yes! During the day, I am a designer and art director at Target Creative, working on a range of projects including gift cards (illustrating myself, and art directing external illustrators), artist collaborations through our soccer partnership work and store murals, seasonal signage, installations and campaigns, experiential events, and a sprinkling of other things!
Lettering a gift card was a big bucket list check off for me. But looking at the work I’ve done, I think the thing I’m most proud of is the collaboration with other artists. In the soccer partnership work, we brought in local artists from around the country to create art that was installed onto soccer pitches in their local communities. It was so special to see the care and thought they brought to this work that their surrounding neighbors would be able to enjoy for years to come. With gift cards or seasonal signage, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of art directing some incredible illustrators, some that I’ve looked up to for years. I love to be surrounded by other illustrators and artists. To learn from their process and thinking, and find new mediums to work and explore in. They help me stretch and flex my creative mind and process.
Outside of work, I do a lot of lettering just for fun, for the ‘gram and sometimes it leads to some cool gigs. For instance, last year I partnered with a friend’s local Minneapolis floral biz, Bud Buds (@budbuds_mpls), and created some really fun spot illustrations for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: dana-christopherson.com
- Instagram: @dana.christopherson
