I considered writing this text in a more neutral way, but I believe it’s necessary to humanize it a little to make it truly relevant and, in some way, inspiring for your business. My name is Fernanda, and I currently work as the Art Director here at One, a company I’ve seen grow and with which I’ve grown during these seven years together.
As a designer, my quality filter has always been focused on what is beautiful, aesthetic, elegant, and visually appealing. I must admit that, when I started managing other professionals, visual repertoire was something that always caught my attention. Because while you can – and should – develop people in many aspects, repertoire is something that’s hard to teach. So, my first piece of advice is this: if possible, involve your art director in the hiring process for your design team.
But let’s talk about challenges, right? Over these years, there’s been no shortage of them. Growth is painful and demands adaptability at every moment. I think the phrase we repeat most here at the company is, “changing the wheels on a moving train,” and believe me, we do this all the time. The market demands agility from companies, especially when it comes to digital. That’s why it’s essential to keep a close eye on processes and deliverables that made sense for your business yesterday and evaluate if they’ll still be effective tomorrow.
Another challenge I can’t leave unmentioned, and which was a major point of personal growth for me, is the constant critical analysis of aesthetics vs. functionality.
What do I mean by this? Imagine a graphic piece that is super beautiful, elegant, well-structured, with excellent typographic choices and a balanced color palette. Sometimes, that same visually coherent piece might not be strategically aligned. Does it fulfill the necessary function? Will it grab someone’s attention and make them stop to read? This kind of analysis needs to be constant, whether in branding projects or digital pieces. After all, good design must have both form and function.
To develop and evolve visual projects, in my view, is to maintain a constant sense of restlessness about our own work. It’s about always looking outward to ensure we’re staying updated, identifying new tools or techniques that could improve our delivery in some way.
But one thing I’ve also learned from One over the years is to look inward. I can assure you that the deeper our work became, the greater the precision, passion, and fulfillment we experienced in every result. Here, I’ve been able to use design as a tool for self-discovery for so many people who brought their dreams to life, enabling the birth of strong and authentic brands.
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