angela donakhristi

Angela (she/her) is an Art Director + Graphic Designer based in Vancouver, BC. Originally from Indonesia and Malaysia, she graduated from ECU in 2019 with a BDes. in Communication, and has since built a design practice around intertwining storytelling and world building to elevate food and hospitality brands locally + globally. She was WOO’s media director from Fall 2018-Spring 2019.

interview + photographs by anne seol + abi simatupang // edited by abi simatupang

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It’s really cool for us to interview someone who was from WOO!

Yeah; I was the media director! But I was only in WOO for one year, in my fourth year—I wasn’t there for long. Media was mostly on photography. We were also dealing with the event when we published the launch. It was never too many people. We were pretty small; we wouldn’t reach 20. Obviously the biggest team was the design team, but honestly I think there was only ... I wanna say, only 6 designers? And the small editorial team! There were also only 3 people under the media team, other than myself. So, there was 4 of us in total under Media. It felt like the right amount.

What was something that WOO focused on then?

I think ... it was our year where we were focusing on rebranding Faces of Emily Carr. We wanted to make the interviews a lot more casual, more like a conversation. Like, the photography is very candid. Very, you know, “We’ll catch you in the studio”-kind of vibe. We were working closely with the design and editorial team on getting what the creative director had envisioned as well.

We’re curious—you were active in WOO in your last year. Not only that, with final projects and graduation on the horizon, how was your last year like in ECU?

It was hectic. It was a lot on my plate, because I was also working part-time. I think because of that—at least between me and my friends—it [socializing] became not as much of an important thing ... We were all staying [in Vancouver] after university anyways, so it didn’t feel like we’re never gonna see each other again. Everybody just knew that our focus was the last year of uni and making sure that we did everything we needed to do. So yeah, a lot of late nights and weekends on campus. But I think it was worth it.

We were lucky too, because we did two years at Granville Island and then two years in the new school. We were the last batch.

Woah! How was being in Granville Island like?

Honestly, it was kind of a blessing in disguise to be out of Granville Island, because we spent so much time and money around the island—the market especially. Being in the Great Northern Way Campus, where there’s, like ... At that time, there wasn’t anything. It was literally ... You go to a class. Either you stay in the library or at the studio to work. Or you go home. And you sleep. That’s really it.

But it feels like that’s how uni life should be for me. I was tired, obviously, and sleep-deprived. But it was like ... this is uni life. I say you should enjoy it while you can; that simple type of grinding.

Is the grinding different now that you’re working?

It’s different. As a creative, you can’t just clock in, clock out. Like, sometimes you get inspired at 4 PM, and you can't just finish up at 5 or 6 PM. Then you just feel the need to stay a little later sometimes. So it's a different type of grind; it feels less simple than the grind in university in a way. As you get older too, your work-life balance really has more of an impact on your creativity and performance too. So you really have to understand when and how to grind without burning out.

Speaking of work—how do you describe your art or design practice?

Because of where I work, it’s a unique field. Our bread and butter is restaurants and hospitality. I think because of that ... obviously you’re trying to solve a problem, just like with every design, but I think it’s more so about ... building a world. Building a world that allows people to step into and be transported for two hours or so while you have a meal. That kind of user experience is different from, like, university work, or any other “problem” that you’re trying to solve. It’s creating a space, an environment where people can escape for a little while. I think that’s my design practice.

That’s a very cool way to describe it. How does your process look like now?

I try to see how different I can make it. [Something that] you can’t find anywhere else in another restaurant. With clients ... they’d [often] come in thinking that they want one thing. When, in reality, there might be another solution that actually builds what they think they want more than what they originally thought. So, touching base throughout the entire project timeline is really important. [Making sure that] they’re also on board, and they’re not just, like ... “What is this crazy designer trying to do and making me spend my money on?” If they’re not convinced in what you’re trying to create for them, then nobody else will.

Bold. We like that. How did you get to this point; what was your experience like transitioning from uni to your design position?

I was like a fish out of water. I was asking myself, “What am I doing? Is this what I signed up for?” Especially since I started working straight out of grad, I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing, if I was doing what everyone was expecting. I was asking a lot of questions—which probably was so annoying for everybody—but you know, it’s better to ask questions and make sure that everyone’s on the same page, instead of trying to gamble, get it wrong, and end up looking like an idiot. I guess it does help a lot too, if you get to work with really patient designers and directors that were willing to teach you a lot of things along the way. It takes a while to earn your stripes and I'm still trying to do so to this day, so I'm glad that's kind of how I started. It has set me up for today; to have the attitude to take initiative of being a problem solver versus taking a “I don’t know how to do this, so I’m gonna make it someone else's problem” mentality.

We’re glad that that’s where it has lead you. Where are you in your journey now–are you looking for change, or are you looking for stability?

Big question, haha. I do go back and forth all the time about this. Ever since the beginning of my last year in university, I've always had my eye on the studio I work in now. At that time, it was only wishful thinking that I'd get an opportunity to work there. So I think being with Glasfurd & Walker straight after graduating, it's so easy to feel like "I'm here, now what?". Plus, I am such a creature of habbit and I don't love change so much. My Earth placements make me happy to stay in one place for a long time and be stable!

Right now, I am going through a lot changes in my personal life—good changes!—but I think, by nature, I'm always subconsciously looking for stability, while always trying to be mentally ready for any change that comes my way. I'm lucky enough to work everyday in a place where I am always learning and creatively fulfills me.

To close things off: what’s something from uni that you bring to this day into your current practice?

Emily Carr was really great at providing you the room to fuck around. There were not really mistakes; you can really just experiment until your heart is content. Even though it could be a bad idea at the end of the day, whatever ideas you come up with... It’s really just about getting it all out and not limiting yourself. Especially in the first concept or starting phase of everything, there is something to say in not being afraid of just trying all the different avenues that you can go down on. I think that does build with your confidence to get over the fear of a white, blank page.