Get to know the Romanian Academy alum who believes that rising above nervousness is almost always worthwhile.
Tell us about who you are: Name, age, location, and current professional status.
Hey there! I’m Andrada Haș, I’m 22 and currently navigating the pandemic life from Romania, my home country. I’ve been freelancing in the past couple of months, but I’m on the lookout for full-time jobs.
What are the (design or general) topics you’re most passionate about?
I’m passionate about visual identities and typography, and I’m very much into art, history, photography, linguistics, astronomy, and internet culture.
Tell us about a project that got you excited.
Because it’s one of my most recent experiences, it’s gotta be my website redesign. I had the chance to do something completely new, and I learned so many cool things.
Tell us about a collaborative project you worked on.
There was this illustration project that I truly enjoyed working on. We’d gather weird, surprising facts about the world, and then we’d try to illustrate them in the funniest, punniest way possible.
How was (or is) your first year after school?
Well, I was supposed to graduate in 2020, but I dropped out of college in 2019. That year was incredibly exciting and intense for me—I landed an awesome job in my dream country, I moved out — I basically fulfilled some of my biggest dreams.
What's the best advice you've received (and from whom)?
My mom always tells me that if something makes me feel nervous, I should probably go for it.
What do you look for in your first job?
Honestly, I’m very eager to be part of a team again and work with others after this period of isolation. So I’m certainly looking for a collaborative environment in which communication and transparency are highly valued.
With which projects did you fill your portfolio? What was your selection process?
My process was very straightforward. I basically did the Marie Kondo trick and just asked myself if the project sparks joy, haha. I narrowed it down as much as possible and focused on quality rather than quantity.
What are you working (personal or professional) on now?
Work-wise, I’m busy with a very exciting rebranding project. Personally, I’m trying to make the most out of the quarantine by reading and learning about the things that I’m most interested in.
What do you find most useful in your projects (research, visuals, softwares, etc.)?
To me, it’s the research. It’s the stage where I can dive really deep into a topic and gather the materials that will later inform all my design decisions.
Book recommendation: what book had the biggest impact on you, and why?
It’s hard for me to tell which one had the biggest impact, but a book that has certainly influenced me is Paul Luna’s Typography: A Very Short Introduction. It made me realize just how fascinating and complex typography is.
What was your key takeaway from participating at the Wix Playground Academy program?
Trust the process 🤓.
In which design field would you want to focus on in your future?
Not a definitive answer, but I’d like to focus on art direction.
