10 with Track Ahead: Kimberly Lewis

Kimberly Lewis: I am a junior designer at Estée Lauder Companies at Clinique.  I design packaging, patterned makeup bags, and custom compacts that are sold at Clinique counters worldwide. 

KL: I actually never even imagined that I would work in the beauty industry during college, it just sort of happened!  My work was selected to be in a senior show that was held by Pratt.  One of the nights was for industry professionals to come and scout out new hires.  I was approached by Clinique. I went in for an interview and got the job a couple of months later.

KL: I graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY with a BID in Industrial Design.  I also studied textile design at the Danish School of Design in Copenhagen. 

KL: There is no such thing as a typical day at our office! I will usually have a few meetings throughout the day with the marketing team and the packaging engineer team.  This week we are ending our Spring 10 season and starting our Fall 11 season.  I am in charge of writing all of the design turn overs for the bags that we have designed for our spring season.  These are documents that list out every detail of the bag right down to the thread color. These will then be sent to our vendors in China where our bags are produced. After that I might rework some patterns for bags for our new season by doing colorways on the computer.

KL: Working in a corporate environment was something that initially took time to get used to.

KL: Bad design! I am always thinking ‘Oh I can do better!’

KL: My next endeavor is already in the works.  I am in the beginning stages of starting my own business on the side with my own prints and patterns as wall coverings with a twist.

KL: I went into Pratt as a graphic design major.  The first year at Pratt you go through a foundation year where you get a little taste of everything.  You study drawing, 3D design, 4D Design, Light, Color and Design  among other classes.   I had never taken a 3D class before and for one of our projects I ended up designing a lamp.  I really enjoyed the process and my 3D professor told me that he was impressed with my work and that I should consider being an Industrial Design major instead.  I had a vague understanding of what Industrial Design was and after some research I decided that my professor was right, and I switched my major right away.

KL: Whether you are applying to art school or a design job, get started on your portfolio early! 

Start networking now! Even though you are still in school you can still go to events and meet people who may be helpful in the future.