A Story About Johanna
Head of Design at Flarie
Johanna grew up in a Stockholm suburb and realized at a young age that she wanted to work within the design area after some broken insurance company dreams (we’ll get to that).
Right after high school, the plane left for New Zealand and studies at Media Design School. She quickly understood that Graphic Design was something for her - to use her own words “Work with art and still get paid! Can it get any better?”. In a world where she could visit Hobbiton and even see penguins(!) she had the best time.
Ok, we have to start with your insurance company dreams?
My biggest dream as a child was working for a famous Swedish insurance company. My mom told me that all employees at that company had the benefit of bringing their pets to work and the biggest reason why we couldn’t get a dog was because of my parents' work. So I thought that place would be the perfect match for me.
Today, I’m not working at the insurance company - but I’m working at a workplace where I can bring a dog, so, I’ve kind of fulfilled my biggest childhood dream. Sadly, I still don’t have a dog.
So, you went to your second choice, graphic design?
Haha exactly, after high school I went to New Zealand for studies. It was a dream come true. I’ve always dreamed about studying abroad and New Zealand seemed like a great country. The school was great and the teachers were really involved. I made a lot of new friends and most importantly in this industry - I became great at the English language.
Why did you go back to Sweden?
Actually, I didn’t really enjoy the heat. I missed celebrating Christmas in a winter landscape, just like the small things.
How did it feel to get back?
Careerwise, it was tough. I didn’t have any contacts in the industry in Scandinavia, or even Europe. So I realized pretty fast that I had to go back to school if I wanted to pursue this career.
I’ve always been a gamer and loved gaming, so it was my mom who found the Game Art program at Forsbergs. Which seemed like a good fit for me. So I applied and got in! At the end of my education I got an internship at Flarie, and then I never left, haha! I get to use both my skills within graphic design and game design here at Flarie. And today, I manage a team of designers. A year ago, we were only two designers. Today we are five! So It’s been really exciting to be a part of this journey.
What’s the most important part of being a team leader, would you say?
Well, I really value work-life-balance. I think that’s important. You won't be a good employee if your work is everything you have time for. Yes, we can have a lot on our table and really stressful deadlines. But even then, I’m always trying to get my team to have their freetime to enjoy. I think it’s kinda crazy that’s not always the normal standard. Everyone in my team should be able to say no, if they have too much on their to-do-list.
I view it as my biggest task is to make sure that everyone in my team feels good and is doing well.
