Sydney Loew only graduated in Spring 2022, but she’s already put her versatile skill set to work in roles that integrate business, design, marketing, and technology. Having minored in Comedy, you might say she has a “yes, and…” approach to her professional journey. Currently, she works part-time as a brand designer for the marketing startup Wisepops, while simultaneously hitting her design stride at Yellow Shoes, Disney’s internal ad agency for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products. Her day-to-day at both positions are wildly distinctive, synchronously allowing her to pull from her dexterous tool belt, while giving her the dual perspective of a startup and an established company. 

At Disney, Loew works on multiple projects with the momentum one would expect from a high-profile corporation. Whether she’s putting together a billboard for Epcot Center or promoting a Hawaiian resort, Loew taps into her storytelling skills to make sure her designs stand out. 

“As far as Disney projects go, it’s super fast paced. Very tight deadlines. I have five or six projects I’m working on at a time. Definitely the project-based learning we do at IYA helped me prepare for that, especially pitching,” Loew explains. “I’ve had to do so many pitches. … It’s not just the design work – I’m learning how to format it so it tells a story.” 

Loew’s pitches extend beyond the boardroom. Sometimes the idea she’s pitching is herself. She’s made a point to cold-email other departments at Disney, from Imagineers to consumer products, getting their takes on what makes their work important and how their roles might evolve. At Wisepops, Loew calls on her tech prowess and marketing know-how as she watches her designs go from idea to live on the website in a matter of moments. 

She credits IYA for giving her the confidence to present herself assuredly.

“IYA really helped me with that because I’m jumping across product teams and doing UI design and I’m also going to the brand side and making sure everything’s cohesive,” Loew shares. “I have to go between many different people. And that’s exactly what I learned at school. It’s really transferable.” 

Another idea that resonated with her at IYA is the concept of designing with everyone in mind. Accessibility makes a recurring impression on her work, from an inclusive playground she designed as a freelancer, to the way she might promote a theme park. 

“That’s a huge part at IYA, design thinking. Design for this small pocket of people who have this problem and it will probably help more people than you think.” 

As she continues to develop her own design style, Loew is making time for creative pursuits outside of her jobs that unify art, tech, and business. She’s staying true to her entrepreneurial aspirations by launching two AI-driven startups – ArtiFit, a platform that helps make merchandise quickly using AI-prompted imagery, and Bedtime Labs, which uses AI to make picture books for kids. Loew is working on the branding and user interface design for both endeavors. 

While she’s always gravitated towards art, Loew’s worldview is so much larger and interconnected. That’s why she chose IYA in the first place.

“I wanted to be up-to-date on tech and I wanted to learn how to sell things and make designs productive and go towards a specific mission. Helping people, making money, whatever it may be! IYA checked all the boxes that I wanted to learn about and it totally worked and I’m super prepared,” Loew recalls. “It’s fascinating to see the world isn’t IYA, which is sad. It should be. I think the world should be more like IYA.”

“What is magic?” Loew asks her colleagues and peers. She’s determined to find out as she carves out a path to being her own boss. Perhaps it’s the ability to maintain a human-centered mindset or simply being open to taking chances. Her potential future reflects that professional elasticity, no matter where she puts her efforts as she achieves new goals.

“I don’t have huge epiphanies just yet, but I still have that entrepreneurial spirit that I want to unleash. And I’m trying to look at the ‘why’ of what I’m doing and how I can be of service to the utmost point.”

Sydney Loew only graduated in Spring 2022, but she’s already put her versatile skill set to work in roles that integrate business, design, marketing, and technology. Having minored in Comedy, you might say she has a “yes, and…” approach to her professional journey. Currently, she works part-time as a brand designer for the marketing startup Wisepops, while simultaneously hitting her design stride at Yellow Shoes, Disney’s internal ad agency for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products. Her day-to-day at both positions are wildly distinctive, synchronously allowing her to pull from her dexterous toolbelt, while giving her the dual perspective of a startup and an established company.

From Disney to Startups and AI, a Designer Makes Her Mark