Caryn is from South Africa and moved to Utrecht last August with her husband Geoffrey and cat Misu. Last period she was busy learning the Dutch language and doing her integration exam. To encourage this, we persuaded her to give a presentation at the office. And she did it perfectly! And you might not notice it from her appearance, but she likes to listen to (punk)rock music.
Question Harmen: What's the most Dutch thing you've done so far?
"The most Dutch thing I've done so far is cycling. I last did this when I was 14. And now I bike to the train station every day."
What did last week look like for you?
"I have completed Bits of Freedom's annual report. What makes this annual report special is that you need 3D glasses to view it in its completeness. Initially, the client wanted a real 3D report but since that is almost impossible to read without glasses, I came up with the idea of separating the 3D colors in order to discover hidden content and special features. The report is designed in two colors, blue and magenta and by using 3D glasses you can switch between the content by closing one eye each time.
After the idea was worked out, I determined the look and feel and designed the artwork. This week we had to deliver the project and I have been working on the final content and getting the report ready for printing. And in the meantime, I also completed the digital version."
What makes working at Unc Inc special?
"The people at Unc Inc make it special to work here. Everyone is genuinely interested in each other, and not only work-related but also what happens in your life outside of Unc Inc.
I also think it's cool that we collaborate a lot with startups. For example, I'm working for a startup, whose name I'm not allowed to mention yet, who are developing a smart object for the home. I designed the screens for the app and the desktop version for them and created visuals for the pitch deck that they can use to approach investors.
And the diversity of projects makes working at Unc Inc very challenging. I'm working on branding, web design, apps and illustrations. No day is the same."
Are there any differences from working in the Netherlands and South Africa?
"Surprisingly not. The only difference is having lunch together. In South Africa everyone fills in their own lunch time, whereas here we have lunch together every day."
What are you most proud of?
"I am very proud of the amount of branding projects I have had the opportunity to work on in my still short time at Unc Inc. I love working with startups and helping to build their brands. Since I started here in January, I've already had the opportunity to design the logos for five startups."
Food
Caryn is very fond of baking and for her birthday she baked a real South African "Melktert," a delicious airy milk cake. Furthermore, she has already made a Special Lunch, a pasta with sage and butter. And...when she passes her integration she will also start surprising us with a cake she baked herself.
Where do you get your inspiration?
"Right now, I get a lot of inspiration from Instagram. I follow famous bloggers, magazines and designers to see what is trending at the moment. I also save a lot of photos and images that I come across online every day."
To whom are you passing the baton and what would you like to ask him/her?
"I would like to put Niels forward. My question to him is: If you could choose a movie or series that you could erase from your memory so that you could watch it for the first time and experience it all over again, which one would it be?"