Meet Azra, Ourboro’s Lead Designer!
With a passion for creative design strategy, and the ability to notice when an image is off center by only a pixel or two, Azra manages all aspects of Ourboro’s visual brand.
How long have you been with Ourboro?
It’s been just over a year, I joined the team in March 2022.
As Lead Designer, what does your day-to-day look like?
My mornings start with a lot of running around, getting my son, and myself, ready for the day. Then, I like to start each work day by looking at what needs to be done for that day, week, and even month. From there I can prioritize what needs my attention first.
As Lead Designer, I manage everything to do with Ourboro’s visual brand. I support the whole company with all of our branding assets and any troubleshooting. Especially with things like social media and our co-buyer’s experience, it’s important that our branding is consistent. Creating systems and templates helps make designing different assets smoother, and quicker, for myself and others I collaborate with.
On a day-to-day basis, I primarily collaborate with Marketing and Product. In fact, if you imagine a Venn diagram of Marketing and Product, I’m pretty well right in the center.
Alongside the Product team, I work on optimizing user interface and experience, updating the website, creating new tools for users, and building out Ourboro’s design system. Meanwhile, I support the Marketing team by creating ads, designing collateral for events, and offering design support with freelancers, printers, and other vendors.
How did you get started in design?
Growing up, I always wanted to do arts, but had no real direction. I ended up going to school for Computer Applications, mostly because it was the new thing to be in. I didn’t know what I was doing, but am now really glad I did it since it solidified my background in code and made me savvy in tech.
From there I wanted to do design, so I took up animation. It quickly began to make my head spin, so I decided to stick to static graphics. Then, since I always enjoyed the creative side of advertising, I decided to get my Advertising Design diploma as well. Throughout my career, I’ve always had a design thinking mindset, which has also made its way into my current role.
While I didn’t end up working in the arts, I am close. And I still have my artist hobbies on the side.
What brought you to Ourboro?
I was looking around on LinkedIn to see what was out there and came across Ourboro. The concept of the product was very interesting. It all sounded good, but I didn’t know how it would actually work.
I read more about the company and the team members and thought everyone seemed friendly. I wanted to work in a culture with good people who wanted to do good, and Ourboro seemed like a natural fit. Luckily, I wasn’t wrong!
Where could we usually find you when you’re not working?
When I’m not working I’m usually playing with my son, painting, or creating jewelry.
What book is on your bedside table right now?
Right now I’m working on Useful Delusions by Shankar Vedantam and Bill Mesler. It looks at how delusions can actually help us. According to the author, people need hope, and self-delusions can help us move forward. It’s why people often believe in things that, when we logically and rationally think about them, don’t make sense.
What’s something that people often find surprising about you?
Well, my son thinks I’m the fastest runner in the universe. In our house, I’m Wonder Woman.
But really, I think people often see my calm and quiet personality and don’t expect that I actually love getting an adrenaline rush. I’m a big fan of roller coasters and am trying to talk my husband into going sky diving with me.
What’s your favourite neighbourhood in Toronto or the GTA?
I’d have to say the Distillery District. The cobblestone streets make it feel like you’re in Europe and I love European design.
