1. Breaking into the design industry with Caterina Bianchini, founder of Studio Nari

Welcome to ‘Making It: In Design’, with me, Rachel Long- Smith, Creative Director of Narrate Studio.  With the concerning lack of gender diversity in the design industry, especially in senior positions, this podcast aims to inspire and encourage women and non-conforming people with the hope to make the design industry a more inclusive and diverse place.  Sharing their career journey today is the award-winning Caterina Bianchini; Creative Director and Founder of Studio Nari, the creative consultancy and branding studio whose clients include Nike, Apple Music, The V&A and most recently the bold and mesmerising visual identity for the 2021 D&AD New Blood campaign.  In this episode, Caterina shares how she secured those crucial first freelance clients and in-house roles with some amazing studios, and how always following her gut has lead her to found her own studio, building a collective of talented people and working with bucket list dream clients.  We chat about some of the barriers Caterina has overcome in her career and her priceless advice for anyone starting out in the design industry.  If you enjoyed today’s episode then please do share and subscribe. You can see more work from Caterina at:  Website: https://studionari.co.uk Instagram: @studionari You can follow me and get updates on the podcast at:  Website: http://narratestudio.co.uk Instagram: @narratestudio My top takeaways from this episode were:  As women, this is our time to rise up and to be bold.   When you reach that OMFG I can’t do it moment, stick with it, endure it, because on the other side of that peak, that’s when it all comes together.   Follow your gut feeling for what you want for your career. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do.