Karolina’s Self-Taught Path to magier

Karolina is a graphic designer from Poland who joined magier after four years of working across learning platforms, branding, marketing, and freelance projects. She didn’t take the traditional design school route. Instead, she followed her curiosity, taught herself the tools, and slowly found her way into a creative career that feels much more like her.

Can you introduce yourself and share a bit about your journey before joining magier?

I’m Karolina, I’m from Poland, and I’ve been working as a graphic designer for around four years now.

Before joining magier, I worked at one of the biggest learning platforms in Poland. I was mainly responsible for visuals for campaigns, print materials for our clients, and also websites, landing pages, and similar design tasks.

At one point, I felt a bit stuck there. I had learned a lot, but I felt like I had already learned everything I could in that place, so I started looking for a fresh opportunity.

Before that, I also worked in a branding agency, and I think that was the place where I gained the fundamentals of graphic design. I never studied graphic design formally, so I would say I’m self-taught. Working with different people in that agency helped me learn a lot.

And even before the branding agency, I worked as a social media lead in a corporate environment. I also have some history in finance. That was my first serious job during my studies, but I didn’t feel like it was the right path for me long term.

You didn't study graphic design. What made you pursue it later on?

I studied management and e-commerce, which was connected to marketing, and I got a master’s degree in that.

The funny thing is that I actually planned to study graphic design, but I didn’t submit my portfolio on time. So I had to choose a different path.

During my studies, I met a lot of people, and I also went on Erasmus. Through those people, I realized that I could do something I love as my work. I’ve always loved drawing and doing creative things since I was a little kid, so I bought my first iPad and started drawing more seriously.

Then I started learning Photoshop and Illustrator. A friend recommended me to my first branding agency, where I started as a part-time designer and learned a lot more. After that, I began looking for a full-time graphic design role.

So after working in marketing, I wanted to switch fully into graphic design, and it happened successfully. I think the universe kind of showed me that graphic design was my path and guided me there.

How long did it take from wanting to become a graphic designer to actually working as one?

That’s a tricky question because when I was little, I already did some things in Photoshop.

I had my own blog, so I made simple headers, changed colors on photos, and played around with visuals. At that time, I thought it was super nice, but I didn’t connect it with something I could do as work in the future.

I think around five years ago, I started thinking about it more seriously. I started learning more, practicing more, and then it slowly happened from there.

Where in Poland are you based, and what was your background growing up?

Right now, I’m in my family hometown. It’s called Rydłutowy, which is super hard to say, I know. It’s close to Katowice, one of the biggest cities in the area.

Before that, I lived in Wrocław for 11 years. I moved there for my studies, and that’s where I started my adult life and my first career.

Six months ago, I decided to move back to my hometown because I wanted to think more about my future. I couldn’t really see myself in Wrocław anymore, and I’ve been dreaming about moving abroad for a longer time. I’m still deciding which city or country would be right for me.

Before university, I lived in my hometown, went to high school here, and was surrounded by my friends. Then I moved to Wrocław and met many new people. Sadly, my high school friendships didn’t really last, but I met a lot of amazing people later, especially during Erasmus. I’m still connected with some of them, and I love that we can share different perspectives and learn new things through normal conversations.

What made you choose magier, and how did you find us?

I saw the job offer on LinkedIn, I think. When I saw it, it really resonated with me. I don’t know how to explain it, but I felt this weird energy.

Then I checked the website, and I really liked the design-as-a-service model. It was something very new and interesting to me because I had never seen anything like that before.

I also checked the blog, and now it feels super nice that I’m a part of it.

I thought magier could be an amazing place for me to grow. I imagined there would be a lot of open-minded, creative people I could learn from. And it really is like that here, so I’m very happy to be part of the team.

You've been here for a month already. What does your day-to-day at magier look like?

I'm the kind of person who likes to wake up early, so I usually start my day around 7. I'm still learning how to connect that with the team rhythm because here, work usually starts around 9.

I like to prepare coffee, have breakfast, and make a task list for the day. I write down what I should do first and sometimes also note down ideas if I already have something in mind for a task.

Then I usually start designing. If I have a problem, I try to solve it together with my art director. I'm also trying to take a more strategic approach now, not only designing something visually, but thinking more deeply about why something should work in a certain way. That's something I wasn't used to as much in my previous job.

Who's your art director?

My art director is Lorenzo.

He's really nice and supportive. When I have a problem, I can write to him, and he helps me think through how to solve it.

What tasks do you find the most fun and the most challenging in graphic design?

The most fun part is when I have ideas and I can easily experiment with them. I like creating different variations and trying out different directions.

What I really like about magier is that with some tasks, you have the freedom to show more than clients might usually expect. You can try different perspectives and bring more ideas into the design process, which is really cool.

The most challenging part is when the deadline is very tight. Sometimes, after a whole day, your mind just doesn't work the same way anymore, and it becomes harder to come up with nice ideas. But with good communication with Lorenzo, it's easier. Sometimes I just write to him that I have a problem, and he helps me figure out how to move forward.

How do you tackle a creative block?

Usually, I need to change my environment. I go outside, get some fresh air, and try to reset my mind a bit.

The best thing for me is to close the task, go to sleep, and come back with a fresh mind. But of course, that's not always possible, especially when there's a tight deadline.

In those moments, I try different ideas and look for inspiration that might not come to my mind naturally. Sometimes I find something that connects with the thing I'm working on. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But I think that's just part of this job.

What's something you've learned since joining magier?

I've learned that communication is very important during the creative process.

In my previous jobs, and also in my own freelance work, I've seen that communication is key because sometimes the client has one vision and you have another one. It's important to walk through the task together and understand how something should work.

At magier, I can go through a ticket with Lorenzo and talk about the task, the direction, and the details. That's really helpful during the design process.

How has your role at magier helped you grow professionally or personally?

I think I've learned to trust my ideas more.

Because I'm self-taught, I sometimes struggle with imposter syndrome. I can feel like something is not as good as it could be. So it's really nice when I show something to Lorenzo or another director and they like it, even if inside I was doubting it.

I've also become more open to feedback. Sometimes ideas have to change because the client has different needs, and I think it's easier for me now to receive that feedback and not take it personally.

I'm also learning how to switch faster between tasks. Sometimes something needs to be changed ASAP, and you have to adapt quickly. I think all of this will get even better with time.

What type of design craft do you really enjoy?

I really like branding.

Sometimes I do branding projects for clients, and I enjoy the whole journey. You start by thinking strategically about how the brand should look, then go through the process of designing it, making sure it reflects the brand's values and how the client sees it.

I'm not completely sure yet how I would do branding here at magier because it's a different process than doing it by yourself. But branding is definitely something I enjoy.

I also like illustration. I'm still learning because I don't really have one fixed style yet. At one point, I really wanted to learn how to create children's illustrations, and I even wanted to release my own children's book with illustrations. But right now, I'm still switching between styles and exploring.

Do you have a preferred design style?

I really like minimalistic design. I don't like when there are too many things floating around in a visual.

I like subtle colors, but I also enjoy playing with bold colors. It depends on the project, but overall, I'm drawn to the minimalistic side of design.

When you're not working, what hobbies or passions help you unwind?

I love to dance. I've been dancing high heels for around four years now. It's hard, but it's also a very nice way to switch off your head and unwind.

I also love to travel. That's one of the reasons I dream about moving somewhere else. I want to learn about new cultures, and I get a lot of inspiration from traveling.

For me, travel is one of the best ways to find new ideas. I also like to spend time actively, so I enjoy going for a run, going for a walk, rollerblading, and things like that.

Do you dance professionally, or is it more of a hobby?

It's more like going to classes.

I wouldn't say I'm a professional dancer. It's more of a hobby that helps me relax and move my body.

Is there a city you visited that really inspired you creatively?

Amsterdam really inspired me.

I was surprised by how everything looked there. Even the windows were so clean. The designs felt super clean, but also really nice to look at. I loved it there.

After my trip to Amsterdam, I made a branding project for a place where you could buy stroopwafels. It became one of my favorite passion projects.

Rome also inspires me a lot. It's so full of art, sculptures, and paintings. You can just look around and find inspiration everywhere.

And a fun fact: I'm thinking about moving to Lisbon. Maybe not permanently yet, but I would love to go there in September. I just need to check how the ticket prices look.

If your morning coffee gave you a superpower for the day, what would it be?

I think it would be amazing to have unlimited ideas. Never-ending ideas.

But they would need to be unique ideas, not repetitive ones. That would be amazing.