Lexie Fries
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I would say I do a lot of things! Currently though, I’m a campaigns designer for Bed Bath and Beyond. ”
In my current role, I am designing from concept to execution and overseeing all the details during development. I have spent most of my career working in fashion as an H&M Brand Guardian for North and South America and led a team of dedicated designers to help me execute those assets on all channels.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
I’ve learned a lot in my professional career! I worked at an agency for about 4 years, constantly expanding my client outreach and getting involved with different kinds of brands as well as internal projects. I made it a priority to learn different roles so that I could essentially cover anyone at any time in the creative department; all the while, leading the creative I was grounded in from my first day working.
Freelancing has also been an amazing experience for me. I lean into my personal interests and target brands I support in my personal life. I do a lot of research and constantly want to learn more so I can take my creativity to the next level.
How do you stand out in your field?
I feel confident in what I know and what I'm good at. I don't feel like I sit in one niche or media type. I value both the client facing side as well as creative development and all that it entails. I am very hands on and I make it a priority to be available to my colleagues and clients to support and execute their needs.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
Professionally I am a campaigns designer at Bed Bath and Beyond. Personally I have a couple projects in the works; a self love campaign and I just started an outline for a book I want to write.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I think the personal projects I listed above are good representations of who I am. My style is simple with some flare and I would say my perspective is aligned with that.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I have experience mostly in fashion but I have worked in a few other industries. The skills I have used across all of them and would like to continue focusing on is Art Direction and how to push creative development across channels.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
For me, communication and transparency is very important. When I am not given information upfront, I find the creative suffers.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
I would hire a personal project manager to do what they do best!
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
Something I constantly tell myself: It's okay to struggle, it makes you stronger.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
I'd love to talk to anyone and everyone who's started their own brand!
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Art Director. I'd like to get into music industry. I also love fashion and magazine publications.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
My dream job would be to be an Art Director for Vogue. I love the photo shoots and how much you can do with all the content.
Who is a creative that has helped you elevate your work?
I've learned a lot in my professional career from a couple of my managers. One really helped me learn a lot of technical skills and one has helped me push my creativity further by allowing me to push the limits of what the standard capabilities normally allowed.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
An email works for me! I respond pretty quickly. I don't like to let things just sit or to keep people waiting.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
I let my environment influence my personal projects - I feel like I’m always daydreaming about what I’m going to work on next.
This member profile was originally published in September 2021.