Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina Lee.
Cristina, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
From an early age, I have always have had some sort of pen, marker or colored pencil in my hand and my nose pressed into paper, constantly scribbling and creating “masterpieces” as my mother would call them. But to a youngster, these childhood drawings were creative outlets that sparked my lifelong love for design. Years later, I have traded out my glitter pens for cursors and keyboard shortcuts. I have now graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design and am on my way to get hired on full time at Civilian Advertising Agency.
Back in November of 2017, I was lucky enough to be accepted as a creative intern as part of the Talent Accelerator Program (TAP) at Civilian Agency, a full-service advertising agency that focuses on being a forerunner for social change. This prestigious program gives current students or recent college grads the opportunity to get real work experience. I have been asked back for three terms, and I am currently in the process of getting hired full-time. I have had a lot of bumps in the road along the way, but I feel like I am finally starting to figure out who I am as a designer, and how I can help make a change in the world around me.
Has it been a smooth road?
I have definitely had my fair share of obstacles to get to where I am today. For a majority of my college days, I was a working student. I would bring my homework to the ice cream shop I managed at, and would study in the back whenever I had the chance. When I was waitressing, I would work until 2 am only to wake up to go to my 8 am’s, gripping my large coffee that became my main source of hydration. At one point during my student/waitressing days, I became sick and neglected to go to the doctor to get checked out, hoping that I could just push through the illness. After a month of neglecting the problem, I finally went to the emergency room where I underwent two different throat surgeries and was on heavy antibiotics since my body had become septic from my prolonged infection. I know for a lot of young adults who are trying to prove themselves in the workforce, it is easy to disregard your health. But in reality, taking a moment to focus on yourself could be the best thing you could do for your success. As a young working woman, it is easy to get into the rise-and-grind mindset in order to be taken seriously by employers. But taking a moment for self-reflection, and recognizing when you need a break is essential for staying healthy and becoming a successful employee. Life is about the ride, enjoy it!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Civilian Agency story. Tell us more about the business.
I am currently working at the Civilian Agency where I assist in creative work for our clients. This includes campaign development, brand guideline development, logo design, website design, digital banner design, print and collateral design and internal creative projects. I closely collaborate with the Senior Designer as well as the Art Director and Creative Director. One of my proudest moments was completing my first big project as an intern – redesigned Civilian’s Style Guide. After a few months of working on the project, I presented the final to the agency with a wave of approval. Since then, I have been involved with creative rebrands of companies, campaign developments, production sets, and have also been a part of projects where I am helping to lead the creative and assisting in client presentations.
As part of the TAP program, my second term TAP team was tasked with creating a mock campaign for San Jose International Airport to increase brand awareness and loyalty among business and leisure travelers within the greater San Jose Area. This campaign would include an in-depth media plan with corresponding creative as well as a plan for digital execution. The team of four interns included: one account services intern, one media intern, one creative intern, and one digital intern each tasked with representing their department in the build-out of this project. As a team, we formally pitched our presentation to the agency at the end of the term as if it were a real client presentation. Throughout the entire process, we were guided by our department leads who helped us through a process of how to build a successful campaign.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My mother has been one of my biggest supporters and my backbone throughout my life. All of my artistic ability comes from her. Her talent has influenced my life since I was a child. She never had a problem with me going away to college as an art major, since she knew that that’s what made me happy. She is the most humble human and does not have any idea how capable and talented she really is. She will always put everyone before herself and her kindness and creativity inspires the work I create today.
Contact Info:
- Website: clleedesigns.com
- Email: hello@clleedesigns.com
Image Credit:
Sally Mann
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