Getting to Know Laura Stein

CP: Tell us a bit about your role! Is there a “typical” day?

LS: I spend some of my time thinking about the studio as a whole – solving problems, or focusing on different initiatives about process, culture, marketing, etc. And I spend the rest of my time in work sessions or design reviews, The content of those reviews can be vastly different. I might be looking at signage materials, or typeface options, workshop plans or brand voice articulations with the teams who are deep in the work.

CP: What is your personal background and what role did it play in your career?

LS: I took a winding path to get to design but everything I’ve been interested in has made its way into the way I approach things. Biggest pieces are probably playing and touring in a band — I learned to collaborate — and doing a degree in Fine Art — I learned to work conceptually. I had an aha moment years ago when I was working on a book and it was fine but boring. My boss (see question 6) told me to think like an artist and really push on the content and structure and subsequent form. It opened my eyes like nothing else.

I also have had the opportunity to do projects that are all about music. I led the Sonos brand  identity —rolling it out across packaging, digital, retail, social, you name it. We recently worked with Wrensilva to do a similarly holistic rebrand. I feel special affinity to those projects.

Read the full interview here.