A JOURNEY OF CREATIVE FREEDOM

For Stephanie Specht, creativity is more than a profession—it’s a mindset of freedom, experimentation, and continuous growth. From childhood sketches to designing for global brands like Google and Nike x Dazed, her journey proves that trusting your instincts and embracing creative risk can lead to unexpected opportunities.

In this interview, she shares how moving between cities, collaborating with diverse talents, and staying connected to nature have shaped her perspective. As a speaker at Forward Festival Vienna, Stephanie will dive even deeper into her process, exploring how experimentation fuels innovation and why staying true to your vision is key in an ever-evolving industry.

What has been your first memory of being creative?
This might sound weird, but it was drawing a maze on paper for snails. I think I was 6 years old and on a holiday in the South of France. Around that same time and age I would use the back of my moms printed accountancy work, on a Dot Matrix printer, to draw my own things like houses, animals, etc. On the paper for this special printer there were always colored lines visible and I used these elements to integrate in my drawings somehow.

And what was the defining moment, when you realized you wanted to pursue a career in the creative industry?
During primary school there was one teacher who kept telling my parents I should go to Art School. She kept on pointing out I would thrive in a different but creative environment, so I guess this woman put a spotlight on a talent she saw that needed to be further developed. Of course many of my teachers in Art High School motivated me a lot and I started thinking about a creative career in my teenage years.

You studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. How has art school shaped your approach to design and creativity?
Studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, was profoundly influenced by my fellow students. We frequently came together to share knowledge and teach one another, and I learned far more from them than from my instructors. This collaborative environment allowed us to explore not only technical skills but also each other’s creative processes and approaches. It played a pivotal role in shaping me into the ‘free’ creative individual I am today. Our gatherings fostered an atmosphere where no idea was too outlandish to explore. I was fortunate to be studying during a time when the internet was just emerging, and owning a computer was a luxury. As a result, my exposure to design styles came primarily from books, album covers, and visits to exhibitions, rather than endless scrolling online. I appreciate this experience, as it allowed my creative mind to develop in a unique way, encouraging deeper exploration and connection with tangible artistic expressions.

How would you describe your work in 3 words and why?
Free, intuitive and colorful. It’s also what I feel when I am creating self initiated work. It comes naturally, I don’t need to think about it. Of course, not all projects benefit from this––I do also have different ways of working but the three words mentioned above describe perfectly when I feel at my best in creating, when I’m in my ‘zone’.

You like to approach design with certain freedom to explore and create boundlessly. What role does experimentation play in your work?
A BIG role. I value the experimental part in creation very highly. When I get an assignment I try to approach it from as many angles as possible, to feel and see what works best. Sometimes I even create stuff the client did not ask for, but I just want to see what it would show. It can be the start of a really interesting conversation sometimes. Depending on the type of client, I take them on a sidepath, an alternative route to show them a new world. If they react positively to it, it gives me the best feeling.

After Art School, you started your career as an independent designer, which is what you‘ve been doing for the past 15 years. How has the experience of working independently shaped your creative work?
The word freedom comes to mind again here. I love the fact that I am not pinned down, or ‘owned’ by someone or a company. Everyday I choose a (creative) path I feel like doing and it’s what makes me very happy. Everyday I wake up with a choice, ‘what do I want to do today that will make me happy’? Of course I have project lists and their deadlines but still I am a free human being and decide when and how and how long I will work. I also love to collaborate with different people depending on the needs of a project and client. But the variety I have in this independent work life is something really satisfying!

Your career is shaped by experiences in diverse cities like Cape Town, Brussels, Princeton, and New York. How has moving between these different creative environments impacted your perspective on design?
Moving between diverse creative environments like Cape Town, Brussels, Princeton, and New York has profoundly shaped my perspective on design. Each relocation challenged me to adapt quickly while staying true to my core values. This experience has become one of the most valuable tools in my career, as every project requires a degree of flexibility and adaptability. The more people I meet, the more design styles I encounter, which can make it challenging to maintain my own unique identity. Reinventing myself with each move is part of the process, yet it’s essential to keep the essence of who I am. My soul remains constant, but my creativity is influenced by each new environment. Ultimately, I strive to express my ideas in a way that reflects my individuality, finding my own voice amidst a tapestry of diverse inspirations. Additionally, my travels have deepened my understanding of human dynamics. By interacting with a wide array of people and navigating various languages and cultural differences, I’ve learned to read people more effectively, a skill that has proven invaluable during initial encounters with new clients.

How do you typically approach a new project? Do you follow a specific process or routine?
Lately I feel like I start with a couple of days of just ‘thinking’: during walks with my dogs or gardening. Some people would call it procrastination but to me it’s not that. I need time outside instead of in front of my computer before I start actual designing. I don’t write ideas down, I gather them in my head and then there’s a moment of ‘outburst’ where I have to run to my screen and do all the stuff that’s been piling up in my head. Once I’m in that flow, I barely go outside––so quite the opposite. In that state of flow, I need to stay in the same place until my body says stop (or I get hungry). It is quite intuitively I could say!

Personal projects are a key part of your practice. You've worked on commercial projects for brands like Nike x Dazed and Google, as well as non-commercial ones. Do you approach them differently?
Actually not at all. The end result will be published on a higher platform but for the rest it is the same for me: creating comes from the heart and my love for design is applied in every project whether it is for a non-commercial client or a high-end one.

Your projects span identity design, posters, and book design. Do you have a favorite medium to work with?
That must be posters! It is such a powerful communication medium. In a blink of an eye you need to be able to say something powerful. This year I was part of the ‘100 Beste Plakate’ (German speaking countries) jury–I was the only non-german speaking member and it was really so nice to see so many posters. It showed diversity in language, culture, politics, … so many identities really. I hope this medium will never disappear.

In 2024, you collaborated with Google on their 10th anniversary of Material Design. How did you incorporate your personal style into such a functional system?
That is a good question! I guess the typography I pushed forward, and it was certainly not a conventional one (‘Harber’ by Benoit Bodhuin, which is not a Google Font) but also shapes and color combinations. But, I had a super nice team as well and people who worked for Google Design: they were there every day to discuss choices. I proposed many designs and they were super good with feedback.

You’ve been a guest teacher at institutions like Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. What do you try to pass on to your students about typography and graphic design?
To never be afraid of doing, and to always experiment front-row! They need to archive their process, since this is to me the most interesting part of a project. The best way to learn something is to ‘do’ it and to fail sometimes. I learned the most from my own mistakes and that mistakes are allowed in experimental phases. I also try to teach them to be able to express themselves verbally. It’s one thing to be able to ‘speak’ through design but you also need to be able to explain yourself. At the same time I always first try to get an idea of the student and their surroundings, background and then decide what I think would be of extra value to speak to them about.

What advice would you give to emerging designers on developing a strong, recognizable style while staying creatively flexible?
Never compare yourself to other designers. The cheesy quote of ‘you do you’ is in place here. Once you start comparing yourself, you can easily lose yourself. Everyone is unique in its own way (another cheesy but true saying) and you need to keep this in mind.

How do you stay creatively inspired and open to reinvention in a world of fast-moving trends and constantly evolving platforms?
I try to walk away from my computer as much as possible, since, for me, ideas are not formed in front of a screen but out in nature. Nature is creativity at its highest level. Looking at a flower day after day, slowly getting its shape or color, a bee humming from flower to flower, a beetle climbing a tree, … I can go on, all these little but big events out there are super inspiring to me. And then maybe I should mention the season of spring. Somehow I get the most fresh ideas this time, synchronised with everything that’s blooming and growing around me. I moved away from the city center 4 years ago. I still live a 30 minute bike drive to the center but I am surrounded by a lot of nature now and up until my move here I never realised the effect it had on me. The city can be inspiring but also draining.

Where do you see the future of graphic design heading, and how do you envision your own work evolving?
At this moment on Earth there are so many ‘solutions’ and ‘approaches’ to graphic design, meaning back in the days there was pen and paper, then internet and computer came which changed the whole game and now lately there are, aside the Adobe package, apps on your phone to create designs and I am not even talking about AI. There is just so much, something for everyone and every level but somehow the touch of the human hand is always a thing that’s of high value. Maybe in the future designers will become so overwhelmed that the need for pen and paper will become more important again? Human beings doing design and AI could become so intertwined that the need to take a distance from the digital becomes bigger? I never use AI in my own work but I feel a small tendency lately to do more manual stuff. But this could also be a result of spending more time in nature.