Meet A Designer: Sarah Alonso
Designers are integral to the app development process. Sarah Alonso is on of the designers for Vog. Here at Vog, our designers ensure that the app is what our clients envisioned.
Sarah Alonso started her job as a UX/UI Designer with Vog in October of 2020. We wanted to take today to introduce you to her.
More about me
Hi I’m Sarah, I’m a UX/UI Designer at Vog. My love of Design began to form after completing my BA in Art History at the University of Calgary. Although my concentration was Art during the Italian and Northern Renaissance I had taken a few courses in Art History that covered the mid-century period of the 1950s and 60s. In these classes I became acquainted with the Bauhaus, Swiss Typography and Mid-century Furniture, art and design (I collect Mid-Century furniture actually).
My career in Graphic Design and later UI/UX design in the tech industry was not immediate. I spent a great deal of time following my graduation travelling around the world, getting my certification to teach yoga and eventually teaching yoga full time in Calgary.
After injury and burnout as a result of an aggressive teaching schedule I decided to make a change and pursue my long held dream of becoming a Graphic Designer. I signed up for the Graphic Design Certification at SAIT. There I combined my fine arts skills (I am a mixed media artist) with the digital know-how of the Adobe Suite. Once I completed my certification I began to freelance as a graphic designer while continuing to teach corporate yoga.
In the year 2018 I got serious about design, I interned at Farmgroup Design Consultancy in Bangkok, Thailand in the 2D-Graphic Design department. During this time I was able to see high level design and participate from concept to completion for various design projects for prestigious global clients. I realized though that the traditional design route was not sustainable and that the digital experience was becoming more and more important.
Fast forward to now, I am a UX/UI designer at Vog. Here I am able to take elements of my design practice and combine it with the empathy necessary to be a good yoga teacher in the role of UX/UI Designer.
What is it like being a woman in tech?
As a woman in tech, I get asked often what it’s like to be a woman in tech (haha). As a cis female I hope that this question becomes less prevalent and that the focus is more on individual accomplishments in the tech sector as opposed to questions related to gender. I’m optimistic as more women are entering the tech sector, an industry that has been traditionally male dominated.
What is the most fulfilling part of your job?
I have a mentor that once told me that ‘the work that we do takes into consideration the effect that our designs have on the livelihood of our clients and the lives of our users.’ The most fulfilling part of the job of a designer is that we have the opportunity to make the lives of those that interact with our designs easier, better and more enjoyable.. The job of a UX designer is not to make things ‘pretty’ but to solve problems within the constraints of the technology. We get to work in an ever changing world which is fulfilling in every aspect.
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Vog is a proudly Candian Company helping companies build more than an app. At Vog, we believe in building businesses. Want to know more about Vog, and what opportunities we have? Reach out!