A career change took Caroline Olesen from the restaurant industry and running an outdoor dog daycare to graphic design. An internship during her studies became the starting point for a new career in the design industry – and eventually led to a job.
Caroline Olesen’s path into the design industry has been anything but straightforward.
After studying media communication, she moved to Oslo and, as she describes it herself, ended up working in the restaurant industry. She first worked as a waitress and later as a restaurant manager. When a work-related injury forced her to rethink her career, she started an outdoor dog daycare instead.
It would turn out to be one of the first steps towards an entirely new career.
When Caroline started the dog daycare, she created both the visual identity and the website herself.
– Design is probably in my Danish blood, she says jokingly.
She taught herself Adobe Illustrator and built the website in Squarespace. Still, at the time, she was mainly excited about spending her days outdoors in the forest with the dogs.
– I enjoyed the design part, but it wasn’t something I thought much more about.
Rediscovering her creativity
When the dog daycare later had to close, Caroline once again found herself at a crossroads. This time, she started looking back at the things she had always enjoyed doing.
The answer was creativity.
She had drawn, made furniture, illustrated the dogs from the daycare and designed menus while working in restaurants. Her older brother also worked in the design industry and had helped guide her through the visual identity project for the dog daycare.
– I’ve always enjoyed being creative. Then I realised that graphic design could be the profession where I could really develop that creativity.
She chose to study Graphic Design at Noroff Higher Vocational College. For Caroline, who describes herself as more practical than theoretical, the vocational approach suited her well.
– I really liked the fact that we consistently worked on different assignments throughout the semester. We had to produce a lot in a short amount of time.
For some photography assignments, students had eleven days to develop a concept, plan, photograph, edit, write a report and create and deliver a presentation. Other projects lasted several weeks and came with greater demands.
The fast-paced structure gave Caroline the opportunity to learn by actually creating.
– I still have to remind myself that I’m here because I’m good at this
The transition from being a beginner to seeing herself as a designer did not happen overnight.
– It’s a transition I’m still trying to get used to, to be completely honest. I’m still insecure sometimes, and I have to remind myself that I’m here because I’m good at this – without breaking the Law of Jante.
Two lecturers she particularly highlights from her time at Noroff are Henriette Mortvedt and Jørgen Due Nordlie.
– They are two very different teachers, but they both had a very visible passion for graphic design. They challenged you when needed, and they could see what you were good at and help you develop it further.
Perhaps most importantly, they helped her trust her own judgement.
– They taught me to trust my gut feeling.
Her design was used in a real campaign
During her studies, Caroline also gained experience working with real clients. The students worked on projects connected to NFD and the film Onkel Jens, Anthon Berg and the production company Levemenn.
For Caroline, it offered an early insight into what it is like to work as a designer outside the classroom.
– It gave me an understanding of what it’s like to work with different clients as a designer, and once again how important it is to be service-minded and build strong client relationships.
One of the projects had an especially rewarding outcome. The team behind Onkel Jens liked her concept so much that the campaign was based on her design and used a slogan she had developed.
Her experience from the restaurant industry, which may seem far removed from graphic design at first glance, has also proved useful.
– It was a fast-paced environment with many different types of people to deal with. That helps me now as a designer when I’m working with clients.
📷: Caroline Olesen.
A studio visit that would become important
When it was time to find an internship, Caroline did not have a large network in the design industry to rely on.
A few months earlier, however, lecturer Jørgen Due Nordlie had taken the students on a studio visit to the design-driven tech studio uppercase.
Caroline immediately liked the environment and stayed in touch with Tommy Borgen at the studio. When the internship period approached, Jørgen suggested that Caroline could be a very good fit for the team.
– Essential! she says about how important that connection became for what happened next.
– Jørgen mentioned that I would fit really well into that environment, so I asked Tommy, and he was very positive about it. And the rest is history …
The first few days made a strong impression on her.
– I felt proud walking through the door in the morning, and I went home with a smile every day. Being part of a real design environment was incredibly motivating.
Given responsibility for a real design project
The internship quickly gave Caroline more responsibility than she had expected.
Among other things, she took part in a naming process and symbol development for a medical study. After carrying out research and developing the concept, she presented her work to the team.
Then came an extensive design process.
– With Tommy as a mentor beside me, an extensive naming process and around a hundred symbols later, it was my concept and design that was presented.
For Caroline, the experience became an important step from student to professional designer.
– Having almost full ownership of a real project, and presenting it to a team with a real client and real consequences, taught me to trust my own decisions in a completely different way than a school assignment does.
– It almost feels unreal when I think back on it. It was a very special experience.
From internship to employment
When the internship period ended, Caroline wanted to continue at uppercase. Through NAV, she was given the opportunity to take part in a work training placement at the studio from August to December.
Naturally, she hoped it could lead to something more.
– You walk around feeling very hopeful, trying to make the best possible impression and show that you can be a valuable resource.
A sign came towards the end of the year.
– Everyone at uppercase treated me as part of the team and gave me a lot of trust in the projects, which I hoped was a step in the right direction. In December, I was still being included in new projects, and that made it clearer that they wanted me to become part of the team.
From January, she was employed.
Today, Caroline works with much more than she may originally have imagined when she applied to study graphic design. Her work includes visual identities, naming processes, websites, UX/UI and client relations.
And every workday starts the same way.
– As soon as I get to the office, the first thing is five minutes of dog cuddles every morning.
After that, the team syncs up and goes through the day ahead. Caroline works in tools including Figma and Claude Code, and recently completed an animation tool for a branding project.
– I don’t hand over the design responsibility
Artificial intelligence has also become an increasingly important part of her daily work.
When Caroline started her second year at Noroff, the use of AI was still relatively new, and it was unclear how such tools could or should be used in student work. Through her contact with uppercase, she gradually began exploring the technology more actively.
Today, she uses Claude to brainstorm ideas in the early stages of projects, get feedback on her work, check whether she has overlooked anything and quickly visualise ideas.
But there is one thing she is very clear about:
– I’m very critical of every output I get and need to stay fully in control. I don’t hand over the design responsibility – I’m the one in charge of that.
For Caroline, the value of AI is therefore not about replacing the designer’s creativity, but about creating more time for it.
– You have to use your own creativity to become more creative. Everyone in this industry is here because we love designing, so use AI for the things around the design process so you have more time for what you enjoy and what motivates you.
– Follow your motivation
Looking back at the Caroline who was standing in front of a career change and considering graphic design, her advice is simple.
– I would tell her there’s nothing to doubt. It’s absolutely the right choice, and you’re finally going to feel like you’ve found what is right for you.
It is also the advice she would give to others considering a career change later in their working life.
– I believe you’re always doing yourself a favour if you follow your motivation. Maybe there was something you loved doing when you were younger? Look at what the professional equivalent might be and find out whether you can turn it into a career.
For Caroline, the answer was creativity.
And after several detours, it has become her career.
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