Natalie’s graphic design skills have taken her far—about 6,000 miles to be precise.
Having graduated from UFV’s Graphic and Digital Design program in 2017, Natalie was happy to return to the freelancing she had dabbled in prior to graduating, embracing the lifestyle with its fast pace and ever-changing challenges.
“I learned quickly how entrepreneurial you have to be in the creative industry and freelancing taught me many of the lessons I still live and work by today.”
In 2018, with the flexibility of freelancing in her back pocket, Natalie and her partner relocated to the UK in search of a new adventure, and quickly fell in love with England. A new opportunity beckoned in October the following year, with a graphic design position at Twinkl, an educational publishing company. As the daughter of a teacher, and with her background in freelance design and illustration for children’s literature, it was perhaps no surprise that Twinkl’s mission statement “we help those who teach” resonated with Natalie.
Based within the international department, and with a noticeably unique accent among her British colleagues, Natalie soon transitioned to supporting the company’s Canadian operations, where she took on first social media and newsletter communications, then other marketing duties to enhance market growth back in her homeland. She was obviously doing something right, as the Canadian market grew faster than anyone anticipated. By the end of the year, Natalie was promoted to the position of Twinkl’s country manager for Canada.
Now, with a full-scale production team on board, creating a localized product for Canada’s multiple curricula, Natalie is proud to have reached the milestone of 1 in every 50 Canadian teachers subscribing to a Twinkl membership. Another big achievement for Natalie and her team this year was forging an official partnership with The Orange Shirt Society to create free learning resources for the first ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.
Today, Natalie feels grateful for the education she received at UFV, and the diverse curriculum covered by the GDD program, which equipped her for the fast-paced and entrepreneurial environment in which she now thrives. “I am so proud that using my Graphic and Digital Design diploma, the right opportunities and a lot of hard work, I can help teachers and countless Canadian children every day.”
