Wray Ward Junior Designer Ida Osterman might as well have invented independence: She lived alone in her native country of Sweden by age 15, moving three hours from home to attend the national triathlon school. She also held several design internships while attending Queens University of Charlotte on scholarship. Since then, she has charted her own course, studying media design while competing in college sports and, in 2021, earning a sought-after spot in Wray Ward’s FORM internship program. Within one year, Ida channeled FORM into an apprenticeship and, now, full-time employment. But how did she do it all?

I sat down with Ida to hear how navigating these personal and professional transitions helped her become the designer she is today and how Wray Ward’s FORM internship helped her along the way.

You’ve packed a lot of roles into your journey at Wray Ward. Can you talk about what it’s been like?

Each role provided new challenges and different rewards.

FORM equaled eight weeks of intense work over the summer. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot but also had a great deal of responsibility. Understanding what I was doing in school and why was one of the major benefits of the internship. It helped me finish out my collegiate career even stronger. I had a better sense of what school projects required because I had already done these things in my internship.

As an apprentice, I was back in school and working part-time. I went from working intensely on bigger projects during FORM to floating between multiple projects to support the project teams.

Now, working as a junior designer, I feel as if I can dedicate all of my attention to my clients and immerse myself in creative work.

Along the way, I’ve watched how others work. I’ve tinkered with my own creative process and how to be more effective in different scenarios.

Is there a lesson or memory from your internship that has helped you in your job as a junior designer?

I learned never to underestimate the power of asking questions and the difference it can make in your work. I love having smart, experienced team members who are willing to come together and help others.

I still have to remind myself to ask questions about everything. I like to write down and process the feedback I get, so I make sure I can utilize more of what I discover.

You’ve said in the past that you want to be in a place where you have the ingredients needed to flourish. How has working at Wray Ward helped you accomplish that?

I just love how open our teams are to new ideas, even if those ideas seem off-the-wall at first. If I have a crazy idea, I feel comfortable throwing it out there, because who knows where it will lead? I’m in an environment where people have the right ingredients for success: high ambitions, big thinking, endless motivation and authentic team spirit.