Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Sandvig.
Hi Kristen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey to becoming a brand designer started back in high school. I wanted to be a fine artist. I attended DeLaSalle High School and took every art class they offered as my chosen elective for each semester. By the time I got to senior year, all that was left was a computer arts class. I didn’t even understand what computer arts was at the time – this was back in 2009. I thought computer arts was learning about how computers worked, haha. Little did I know I would discover my future career in that hot, tired classroom lined with old-school computers.
Turned out “computer arts” was not what I thought it was – we were taught Adobe Illustrator and the class focus was on digital drawing. I completely fell in with it and I latched on to the pen tool – a tool that isn’t often admired in Adobe Illustrator. If you know, you know. I remember walking by the classroom in between other classes and quietly admiring my projects hanging on the window.
One day my instructor pulled me aside and asked if I had ever thought about graphic design as a career. I remember feeling like a lightbulb went off and something just clicked. I’m forever grateful to Ms. Busch for asking the question that seemed to unlock my future.
As the school year came to an end and graduation approached, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in graphic design. I dove right into technical college to get my design degree.
Side note: I looove the game of basketball & coached my siblings’ teams for 5 seasons. I was very close to double majoring in coaching so I could be a professional basketball coach but…spoiler alert…that didn’t happen. I decided to focus on design and figured I could be a cool mom and coach my kids someday instead.
I had to pay my own way through school so, an affordable option was important when selecting a college. Since I had the creativity, I knew I simply needed to learn the software. Minneapolis Community and Technical College (now Minneapolis College) seemed to fit the bill. I worked 3 jobs and took mostly night classes where I learned things like the principles of design, the Adobe Creative Suite, color theory and print production.
My time at MCTC was great and I recommend it to this day to anyone looking to become a designer. I had fantastic instructors and felt I was prepared for the real world. I tutored the Adobe Illustrator class and took another elective there that would help me figure out what I wanted to do in the future.
A new elective popped on the scene one of my years at MCTC, “Into to Freelance Business”, which had a focus on freelancing as a graphic or web designer. Coming from a long line of entrepreneurs – my parents, grandparents and great grandparents on both sides were entrepreneurs – I had a strong interest in running my own design business. I guess you could say that entrepreneurial spirit runs in my blood.
Fast forward to graduation and the job hunt. I was lucky enough to land a job at a local, high-end, stationery shop designing party invitations and wedding suites. After six months, it unexpectedly went out of business.
I remember driving home that day and immediately calling my old boss at Ben & Jerry’s where I had worked all through high school and college to ask for my job back. So there I was, a new college grad, back at my hourly, non-industry job, working my summer away catering ice cream events.
I used this as an opportunity to start my freelance design business on the side, and so, White Loft Creative was born in October 2015. Friends of friends recommended my logo and brand design services. My very first client was the Herbivous Butcher, a local vegan start-up hoping to create what I coined as “meat-free meats”. As they quickly gained local attention (and what would soon be international attention), they needed more materials to meet the demands. From logo design to packaging to merch to tagline writing, I found myself absolutely loving the whole process of developing a brand.
I found my first clients by word of mouth and on Instagram. While I enjoyed freelancing, I knew I wanted to gain a bit more experience in a team setting before I felt comfortable taking my business full-time.
I got a job at a local nonprofit, Feed My Starving Children, as a graphic designer in the marketing department. It was there that I gained experience doing many different things from web design to print management to being a creative lead.
I continued to build up White Loft Creative on the side working with a variety of clients, and after 6 years, I felt it was time to take the leap to full-time.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Working 3 jobs to support myself through college was hard. There were days I worked 2 of my jobs and then had to go to night classes. I remember getting in trouble for being late to my second job by 2 minutes because I was changing from ice cream covered clothes into hostess clothes.
Losing my first design gig after 6 months was very challenging, but ultimately pushed me to start White Loft Creative, so, looking back, I am grateful for that challenge.
Running a business, in general, is hard! For me, the early days were all about time management. With a full-time job and 2 side hustles – it’s worth noting I started a retail business, Backgate Prayers, with my mother-in-law during this time as well – I had to be very rigid with my schedule for a while. I blocked off certain days of the week to work on different businesses, spend time with my now husband and get to the gym.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m extremely passionate about entrepreneurship. I truly believe that anyone is capable of making a living doing what they love. If you find the overlap between what you’re good at, passionate about and how it can help others, you’ve got yourself a business idea.
The vision to solve a problem in order to serve others in a new way, practically gives me goosebumps. There’s just a fire that ignites at the thought of giving life to new business ideas. That’s why I absolutely love working with entrepreneurs. I can share that same passion & drive with them, while solving a problem *for them* – which is why I’ve gravitated towards logo design and brand development. I am obsessed with the idea of building things from scratch.
White Loft Creative was born by combining my loves of design, entrepreneurship and coaching. I’m known for blending business coaching & brand design to launch value-driven brands for visionary founders. There’s more to what I do than simply executing a design that “looks pretty”. My brand designs are rooted in the heart and values behind a business.
I feel I’m doing what I was called to do when I’m helping others launch their businesses. I’m so fortunate to call this work that I’m so passionate about, my job.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I am all about taking a leap of faith. Entrepreneurship is all about taking the leap to bet on yourself. If you place faith in yourself & your ability to figure business out as you go, anything is possible.
My dad always used to tell me, “if you *think*, ‘I can do it’, you’ll do it.” It sounds so simple, but it’s so true.
And, sometimes all you need is a few seconds of courage to take that leap. You never know – those few seconds of courage could open new doors, or, close doors that change your life.
Contact Info:
- Email: kristen@whiteloftcreative.com
- Website: whiteloftcreative.com
- Instagram: white_loft_creative
- Facebook: facebook.com/whiteloftcreative
Image Credits
Julia Mary Photography
