At SDCC Lauren's bright spirit, positve attitude and passion for packaging stood out. Building a successful career in design is a journey and we wanted to catch up and find out how this determined designer ended up in Holland. The year she graduated from City was really tough, as the bubble had burst and jobs were not easy to find. In Lauren's wise words she "left no stone unturned". She began her career in San Diego doing graphic design for a furniture company and got the basic experience she needed before moving to New York. She applied for every kind of job even ones she was not yet qualified for in hopes her work would be seen. Although she wasn't sure if it was the best approach, it worked and she got an interview for an art director position at Victoria's Secret. She was truthful in her interview and was offered a graphic design position instead thus getting her foot in the door of the beauty packaging world. That led her a few years later to her dream job at Avon designing fragrance bottles and packaging."No matter how tough the job market is, it only takes one person to take a chance on you. I was an average designer when I graduated from City College, but with teachers like Candice and MaeLin they instilled confidence in me and as I soon learned I would get better. Confidence, curiosity, and passion are the keys to success". About a year and a half ago, Lauren left Avon to move to Miami as she wanted new challenges. There she freelanced for Benihana and started Logohaven.com designing logos & branding, before deciding to take a short summer course in product design in London/Milan. Afterwards, she wanted to live in Europe for a while, and stopped in Holland, where with luck and hard work she got a business visa to begin her own design company. Creme de Mint Design is located in Rotterdam, Holland and she is working with a couple of Dutch partners on projects, including a tea product line. She also works within a media company at the Creative Factory an inspiring space where they put 150 companies into a shared space that helps you build your network. Check out this link to see some of Lauren's amazing packaging design work for fragrance and beauty products.