Have you ever wanted to walk a working week in someone else's shoes? Welcome to our series that gives you a no-holds-barred look at the Monday-Friday diary of successful women...
Alexandra Lunn, 33, is a Design Director, and the founder of her self-titled studio.
"I used to roam around my dad’s wood workshop in West Yorkshire, terrorising his colleagues and making wooden sculptures out of anything I could get my hands on. I’d accompany him to the demolition sites of the old mills of the North that were being pulled down; everything within the mills was meant to be burnt, however, we’d salvage wood, bobbins, and cast iron objects and he'd use the materials to make floors and furniture out of the reclaimed timber and other items. The idea that you can make something out of nothing inspired me so here I am.
I started my business back in 2017 and I now manage a team of strategists, copywriters, designers and typographers. My job involves meeting new people, understanding what they do. Hosting, organising and participating in strategy sessions where we get clearly aligned on our clients’ vision, goals and values, briefing my colleagues and quality checking their work, presenting work to clients, taking care of their social media (engaging with their community), taking care of our own marketing including, designing email newsletters and social media, keeping on top of our company’s accounts; generally spinning all the plates."
Monday
8:30am - I define and list the week’s goals and objectives and list actionable points on what I need to do to reach them, as well as what others need to do. I put the key dates and times into mine and my colleagues’ calendars for the rest of the week.
I then revise our clients' individual timelines to see what needs to be done and possibly adjusted. I then add the things that we need to take action on to a brief for my team and schedule in some time to ask our social media strategist whether she is free to facilitate a session for next week. Monday mornings are all about planning. To maintain focus, I don’t open my inbox until it’s done!
We’ve recently been introduced to someone who is looking to invest in a brand identity; I research who they are, their industry and the problems that they face, as well as have a think about how we can best help them.
At 13:00 I brief my designer on the day’s workload which he then does whilst I am on client calls or taking care of general admin/social media. Once it’s done, he shares the work with me, I quality check it and if it’s ready to go; I send it over to our clients for approval/feedback.
Tuesday
In the morning I chat with our developer who is working on another clients’ website, to discuss how we can work with the written feedback she’s left, and come up with some new ideas on how to achieve stand out features with custom code.
At lunchtime I chat with another client who wants to invest in design for social media templates. I like doing this right away whilst the conversations are fresh in my mind and also so the client has time to mull things over and come back to us with any other questions or concerns.
I finish at 17:30. Something I am aiming for is to end every working day at 17:00. Downtime is so important.
Wednesday
This morning I make the edits to a brand strategy session and send a Brand Bible to a client who has a natural cake studio, for a final review. Send the amended bible to a typographer in the Philippines so that they understand the brands’ vision, goals and values. Then, I introduce her to our IP and Trademark Lawyer who has offered her a free 30 minute consultation; so she can ensure that her name is hers to use both here and abroad.
Our type designer Marie shares the second round of her creations during a client presentation; we have a lengthy discussion about how each logotype has derived from the initial strategy and the first round of typefaces, how it now makes the viewer feel. There’s a lot to comment on and we only have half an hour so I make sure we arrange a realistic time for Marie to make the third and final round, and cover colour later on. We’re left feeling aligned, energised and excited. I love finding out what the story behind a brand is and then translating that into a custom made bold and vibrant visual identity that speaks to their values.
I attend another call where I listen to what a potential client wants and then break down our creative process to them so they can see that they have every opportunity to leave feedback at every stage.
At lunch I have a look at my timeline; there are some things that weren’t done so I move them to tomorrow. I update our services page with newly revised copywriting.
Thursday
I do a bit of writing, plan social content. Chat with my best friend.
Research the best platforms for a website to build the Spice Company’s website on and email the client with my findings.
At lunchtime I go for a skate and then do administrative work; organising our workload and preparing the brief for our designer to pick up next week.
Friday
I have a 7:30am call with our other type designer based in the Philippines for the cake studio who creates sugar–free natural desserts. Until she is able to turn her side hustle into a full reality with branding and design, my client also works in a full time catering job so this is the best time for us all.
General admin, create some colour palettes based on some spices and then send the final round of typography choices to the spice blend company.
At midday I chat with a potential client. A good brand isn’t just a logo, so I break down to her how branding systems work and how colour, typography and imagery as well as the logo form the whole brand identity.
In the afternoon I provide a mentoring session to my mentee.
It’s the last Friday of the month so I both pay and send invoices.