Our Alumni Highlights Blog celebrates the remarkable journeys of our graduates, showcasing the diverse and inspiring paths they’ve carved across industries and around the globe. Check out Robin Hunt’s journey and recommendations for current UW students and alumni.
When I came to UW, I had very little idea of what I wanted to study. I chose to be in a Law, Societies, and Justice FIG, and that pretty much set me on my trajectory while in school. Because public education in the U.S. is really limited in its history and civics education—and because I come from a background of relative privilege—it was my first time learning about systemic inequality. It felt really urgent to keep learning about that. I pursued a double major in Community, Environment, and Planning (CEP) and Political Science.
Admittedly, I didn’t have a clear image of how that would translate into a career I would enjoy. I’m a very creative person with diverse interests, and the careers being suggested just didn’t feel right for me. I had a conflict: I loved what I was learning, but I wasn’t interested in the careers associated with it.
Sometimes it feels like you realize important lessons just a little too late. By the time I recognized my dilemma, I was midway through my senior year. Because of this internal conflict, I had a really challenging time coming up with a senior project for CEP. I ended up taking an extra year to graduate, which wasn’t as humiliating as I thought it would be. It gave me the time and space to come up with something I could be proud of. In the end, I created a project that integrated many of my interests: the meaning of place, urban sketching, and improv comedy. You’ll have to ask me privately how I pulled that one out of the hat.
After I got some distance from school, I leaned more into my creative interests. I spent many hours wandering around Seattle, drawing. I started experimenting with computer programs like Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. Eventually, the brewery my partner worked at needed labels for their new beer cans. I thought, how different could that be? I made a couple of designs and put them in front of the owners. Next thing I knew, I’d designed eight labels for them.
The more I designed, the more it became clear that I needed a formal education. The time between making that realization and enrolling in a classroom was no more than a month. Two years later, I graduated from Seattle Central Creative Academy with a certificate in Graphic Design. A year after that, I landed my first gig as a contracted packaging designer for Talking Rain Beverage Company—where I find myself today.
In my role as a packaging designer for Talking Rain, there hasn’t been much room to directly bring my Political Science or CEP background into my work. However, one huge takeaway from my education is to avoid making assumptions about people based on their identity.
In marketing, this can be particularly challenging. Oftentimes, we aim to appeal to specific demographics based on identity markers. But how do you appeal to those people without resorting to stereotypes? We’ve all seen ads that are clearly designed to target our demographic—yet feel reductive or alienating. Personally, that kind of advertising makes me feel misunderstood.
One method I’ve found helpful is to always return to the need states the consumer may be in and try to speak to those. That’s where empathy and understanding can replace assumption.
While art and style are subjective, graphic design is more outcomes-oriented. The difference between art and design is that with art, the maker is expressing themselves; in design, the maker is trying to get someone to do something. Because of that, it’s more straightforward to objectively evaluate design work than it is to evaluate art.
That said, design still relies on visual language, which is shaped by cultural reference points that aren’t universal. The color green might suggest “environmentally friendly” to some, and “wealth” to others. To communicate effectively, you have to understand your audience. The problem to solve and the audience you’re solving it for should always be a designer’s North Star.
In my first year out of college, I helped develop a brand for a friend’s parents’ vineyard. Growing grapes was new to them, and design was new to me. Their story was deeply personal: it was the story of a couple embarking on a new venture together. Pam and Bart named the vineyard “Blue Dress” as a testament to their love—Pam was wearing a blue dress when they met.
It was so fun to build a brand around their relationship, and around the serenity and joy they were hoping to capture in retirement. Soft hues and hand-drawn illustrations became the visual language of the brand. At the center of it all was the logo, featuring—you guessed it—a blue dress.
It wasn’t the most out-of-the-box brand, but it didn’t need to be. I loved this project because the process was just as meaningful as the outcome. We taught each other along the way, and collaborated to create something we could all be proud of. I was so honored they trusted me with that part of their journey, and I love that they invested in themselves in that way.
The most valuable lesson I’ve learned as a designer—one that applies to life in general—is that you get out what you put in. If you go with your first idea, you’ll get first-idea-quality results. The more you iterate, the more you research, and the more you push the boundaries of what you think you can create, the better the outcome will be.
When I entered the industry, I was fairly naive about the world of marketing. Admittedly, I’m not much of a consumer at heart. I try to minimize my environmental impact, and I hadn’t fully considered that the majority of design is about selling things.
I love my job. I love designing packaging. It’s not lost on me that I get to choose colors and draw fruits all day—how cool is that? But when I zoom out and think about the bigger picture, it’s sometimes a bit harder to find deeper meaning in the work.
What I’ve come to realize is this: when you’re preparing for a career, it’s important to think about
- What you enjoy learning about
- What you enjoy spending time doing
- What you value
If you can find a path that aligns with all three, your career will be much more fulfilling.
