Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Minnerly.
Hi Sarah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I suppose my story starts with being born & raised in Connecticut by my very creative parents. My mother is an artist & art teacher, and my father is a video engineer & inventor who works mostly in film & television.
I knew pretty early on that I was into graphic design. When I began to apply for college in high school, I went all in and applied to a bunch of art schools, which my parents fully supported. I landed at the Savannah College of Art & Design which I think helped build a really great design foundation for my future.
After graduating with a double major in graphic & advertising design, I got a job at an advertising agency called TracyLocke. I was working on the Pepsi brand team doing all different kinds of in-store activations, Superbowl campaigns, package design, and much more. It was a really great experience, and I also happened to meet my husband there!
From there, I moved to NYC and got a job another big agency, and worked on all sorts of healthcare brands for the next five years. It was around 2018 when my now husband got his green card (he is Venezuelan) and we both decided to quit our jobs and move to the west coast.
When we landed in San Francisco, I began working at Apple on the Marcom team. I was commuting down to Sunnyvale every day & learned so much from working there. This job shaped my design eye to be extremely critical and hone in on the reasoning behind all my design decisions.
After Apple, I began working at a small tech start-up called SquareTrade. SquareTrade was acquired by Allstate a few years before I joined, so I got to be part of a full rebrand and shift in marketing. We were able to design a new website & tons of new marketing materials for all of our clients. Although I moved down to LA, I am now a remote creative director there and love the work I get to do, as well as the talented people I work with!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would not say it has been the smoothest of roads, but I am very fortunate to have found my way through most challenges I faced throughout my career. Art School in itself was very hard and a ton of work. I think my education really helped set me up for the real world.
Most of my struggles began when I did the thing I told myself I would never do; quit my job without anything lined up, and move to a brand new city. It was the best and most terrifying thing I have ever done, but I am so happy I did it. After Apple and before SquareTrade, I had a brief stint at a health start-up called Ubiome. I worked with one of my best friends and we were doing some pretty fun work–until the company was raided by the FBI because the founders were apparently committing insurance fraud (news to all of us). And just like that, 80% of the company was let go on a sunny Tuesday morning. It was a very humbling/emotional experience and ultimately led me to where I am today, so I really try to see the silver lining.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Being a creative director & designer, I would say my specialty lies in art directing, branding & conceptual thinking. At my current job, I am able to touch on a lot of these, as well as other design challenges which is what I love most about what I do.
I would say what sets me apart from most is my keen ability to create clean & impactful design solutions that resonate across audiences. I am a firm believer than less is more, especially in design.
Aside from design, I really try to be a manager & co-worker that inspires & people enjoy working with. Being kind, compassionate and detail-oriented is what I strive for.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think having a supercritical design eye and being extremely detail-oriented is what makes me successful as a designer. To the average person, moving something one pixel to the left or right may not seem like a big deal, but it can make all the difference in the world. I think understanding this and utilizing it in my day-to-day work is what helps drive great design.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sarahminnerly.com
- Instagram: @sarahminnerly
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.minnerly/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-minnerly-65506727/
