{PRO}file // Lin Oosterhoff
Glance at Lin Oosterhoff’s IG feed and you’ll get an instant feel for this dynamic, utterly fearless designer’s bold design choices, imaginative use of colour, flair for minimalism, and love of standout typography. Speak to Lin about her client portfolio or latest project and see her light up {you can’t fake that kinda excitement}.
She’s one of those designers that you can tell was always supposed to be a designer. Especially passionate about identity design and typography, Lin takes a vision and brings a visual brand to life. Growing up in The Netherlands, the Dutch favourability towards minimal, experimental, innovative and quirky design approaches has clearly influenced her work. The result? Surprising, innovative, yet perfectly fitting, brand and product designs that are thoughtfully-created, push outside of the norm, draw you in and tell a story.
For this {PRO}file article, we sit down with Lin for a rundown of her current client mix, and to find out how she finds inspiration in all kinds of ways, her design pet peeves, and what really good work days look like.
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Paper Road: Let’s talk about a project you loved working on.
Lin: I've been working with Guardians of the Ice since its inception in 2019 and we’ve had some really exciting things launch, that I’ve loved collaborating on. Being part of this project gives me such a great sense of purpose and community.
PR: When you were young, what was it you wanted to be when you grew up?
L: I went through a couple of different phases of what I wanted to be when I grew up. One of the first was ballerina. Then hairdresser, florist, fashion magazine designer, visual merchandiser and finally graphic designer.
PR: What was it that made you pursue a design career?
L: I've always been a creative person; I spent a lot of my time drawing when I was young. In high school, I found a love for fashion which brought me to a college that offered a visual merchandising diploma. In Europe {Lin hails from The Netherlands}, window displays are an important part of a shopping experience and I thought it was the perfect combination of creativity and fashion. Seeing that my attempt to get into fashion school with the focus of creating fashion magazines rather than designing clothing didn’t work out, the college I attended offered a minor in graphic design - which I decided to explore. Since then, I've never looked back. I was hooked right from the start and knew it was what I wanted to do with my life.
PR: And your first break into the industry?
L: Right after graduating college, I moved to Canada. I am an avid learner, so it was always my goal to do more schooling. After obtaining my Permanent Residency, I enrolled into the graphic design program at Conestoga College and graduated with distinction and a student award. This allowed me to apply for my first job at Foundry Communications in Calgary.
PR: Who or what inspires you?
L: Inspiration can come from a lot of different things; music, songs, other art forms. It's hard to pick just one. Other creatives also inspire me. It's so cool to see other creatives thriving in their respective fields.
PR: Describe yourself professionally in five words.
L: Creative. Passionate. Bold. Energetic. Flexible.
PR: Complete this sentence: my workday’s not complete without:
L: Feeling accomplished at the end.
PR: What’s always on your desk?
L: My Wacom tablet, water bottle, phone, a pack of lined sticky notes and a couple of crystals.
PR: And a good workday for you is:
L: When I can cross off (multiple) things off my to-do list and feel like I've accomplished something.
PR: The app you check first in a morning is:
L: I'm embarrassed to say...Instagram.
PR: Favourite podcast / site / news outlet:
L: I absolutely love the Muzli plugin for Chrome. Every time I open a new tab, I see an overview of industry inspiration, news and fun articles.
PR: Favourite thing about your industry:
L: My favourite thing about the design industry is that the sky can be the limit. Design is part of so many different outputs, which are all different and wonderful in their own way.
PR: And least favourite?
L: That branding design is often very undervalued. I understand that there might not be a lot of budget for proper branding when starting a business, but I believe it is one of the main things that grounds a business, makes you look professional and allows that business to make a memorable impression. It's so worth it!
PR: Part of the industry you wish you knew more about:
L: Running your own business. How do people do it?
PR: Favourite place you’ve ever worked from:
L: Squamish. It's the perfect combination of mountain and ocean vibes and one of my all-time favorite places.
PR: Industry pet peeve:
L: Those cheap logo design contests you see online. This is not the way to go!
PR: Describe your dream client or project?
L: My dream client would be looking for a full branding system for themselves or their company. I love working with other creatives or a business that provides an ethical product/service that I can believe in. They would be open for something more wacky/creative and want to experiment with specialty printing techniques and substrates.
PR: And career highlight to date?
L: At my job, that would be my promotion to Art Director. It's the job title I've always wanted.
PR: Biggest career compliment you ever received?
L: To hear that people see me as a creative leader and someone who makes an impact within their community.
PR: Biggest lesson on the job:
L: Not to be impatient. I can be a fast worker that makes quick decisions and sometimes I have to remember that not everyone is like that.
PR: Biggest learning from the last year?
L: That even though it's a pandemic, you can still thrive, and you should be proud of that.
PR: And most excited about going forward?
L: Trying a bunch of new things and working on more branding projects!
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Find out more about Lin and her work:
