Meet Ali Chen! She’s a former Architect who became a freelance packaging designer running her own business. Let’s see how she pivoted from the grind of Architecture design competitions to starting her own company.
Hi Ali! Tell us about yourself.
I’m an architect/packaging designer currently launching an architecture exam app and skincare line.
I am originally from Bay Area, California and spent a lot of my childhood in Taipei, Taiwan. Currently, I’m living in Brooklyn, which feels like my actual home now. I love the pace and vibrancy of the city, and the fact that it feels like the center of the world sometimes.
What’s a typical workday like for you?
Honestly it’s hard to describe a typical work day for me! It all depends on the projects I am working on and the deadlines of that day or week. In general, I keep a pretty strict sleep schedule. I wake up at 6 or 7 and work until 2pm on whatever needs my attention that day. Because I have a product-based business, much of my time is spent talking to people about my products as well.
How did you get into Architecture?
As a kid I went to Disneyland and visited what was called a “Smart Home” prototype (this was in 1990, so Alexa had not been invented then. It was something incredibly new). I remember being so amazed that you could have this dialogue of your personal needs with your own home and that everything could be controlled like a machine.
That sounds fascinating even today. When do you think you started to stray from the idea of traditional Architecture?
The more experience I got under a traditional practice with technical detailing, code research, construction documents, and construction administration, the more I realized I prefer the conceptual side of design. I found that I like to come up with dimensional solutions to problems. On top of all that, it was the same story of the long hours, low pay, and lack of social life that made me look to create more sustainability within my own life.
In my current role, I realize that providing a product rather than a service is a very different mode of work. I am quite happy with all of the things I am learning in regards to marketing a product, but as I have spent all of my career providing design services there is a learning curve for me. Despite that, the newness and the autonomy as well as being able to see a direct result of your work feels incredibly fulfilling in a way I had not experienced prior.
What step did you take to get to your current role?
I applied for a masters degree in Package Design at Pratt Institute. I always had an interest in product and branding. I’d wanted to make this move towards creating products instead of continuously providing services. It felt like a logical step for me. Packaging is essentially architecture at a smaller scale (without some of the technical headaches), but at the same time is deployed in mass quantities. Architecture, on the other hand, is most often singular.
Did you have any doubts going into package design?
I had a lot of doubts. I was still pursuing licensure while concurrently making this transition out of architecture. It felt like I had my feet in two (or even three) boats, and I had trouble defining myself as a designer.
Was there anything you learned from your studies and experience in Architecture that helped you pivot?
An architecture degree taught me to view everything as a design problem, including my career and how to pivot. I do miss the comradery in architecture as well.
But what I learned from my new career is that marketing is a huge factor in everything. It’s huge in architecture too. I realize now that it is such a crucial skill. Most successful architects may not necessarily be the best, but generally have been the best at marketing themselves and their work.
