From Berghs Bachelor to UX/UI Design at Ravensbourne in London

Hi Lovisa! Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Lovisa Herfindal and I’m a 25 year old girl, living the digital nomad life and working as a UX designer, and currently I do a few different things. I work as a UX Design consultant and entrepreneur where I help other aspiring designers to break into UX design, as well as consult companies on the product design process. For this I run a design community and connect with most of my clients through my design instagram @lomiux. Among my other projects I have a bag brand  with my family that I’m just starting up that you can find at www.pialinbags.com .

Finally, I also work part time with Lapoint surf camps - which is really a full circle moment for me as I started my surfing journey with them, which inspired me to aim for a life as a digital nomad. Now I work remote and try to spend as much time as I can surfing, doing yoga or creating things! 

How did you come to Berghs? 
When I was younger I always thought I would be a lawyer as I went to a high school specialized in politics. However, after travelling I realized that I wanted to work with my creative interests, and found UX Design. Then when researching I heard about the Berghs Bachelor program from a friend - which became the perfect path for me to reach my goal! 

When the time came to choose our partner school, Ravensbourne had the program for UX Design that included all the things I was interested in, and I wanted to go for. I also missed living abroad as I had done this when I was younger, and Ravensbourne felt like a way to make a more permanent move to a city I love with endless opportunities. 

Before starting at Ravensbourne I had the chance to visit and see their prototype room with laser cutters, 3D printers and other interesting tools. I was sold right away. During my visit, I also learned that we’d be creating our portfolio during our studies. Thanks to that portfolio, I got multiple job offers before I even graduated. 

I ended up starting a full time position as a UX Designer at an agency called Native Design where I did my first year as a designer. There I got to work on incredible projects with large brands, and specialize in UX for digital - physical products which has really become my design passion! 

What is life like in London?
London is a city full of opportunities - I love living here. You can find all types of companies and interesting people who are so open, it’s an unbelievably international city. Most of my friends are from around the world which is so enriching and fun! There are endless amounts of events, restaurants and amenities, it’s hard to get bored in London! 

What did you bring with you from your semester at Berghs?
I specialized in Graphic Design in the Berghs Bachelor program which was incredibly helpful. Prior knowledge in different software is important to high-quality work and being able to turn your ideas into reality. The courses I took at Berghs provided me with a good jumping-off point to dive into my studies at Ravensbourne. Berghs was such an inspiring environment where I got to meet lots of interesting people and lovely classmates. There are special bonds created during the Berghs Bachelor program as you develop trust in your classmates before you all move abroad, you make friends for life! 

I also made really good connections with people in the industry and my teachers at Berghs, that I still stay in touch with! 

What would you tell someone considering studying abroad? 
I would say that you should take the chance and embrace the unknown. No matter how many opportunities and chances there are, it’s up to you to find them and stay updated on what’s available to you. You can never expect to be served new chances, instead, you need to keep your eyes and ears open. Create a network and use your existing contacts to your advantage, they can help you discover exciting opportunities for the future! Also to appreciate all the different nationalities and cultures that you meet. You learn so much from others which I absolutely love! 

What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future is to keep working on expanding my digital businesses and continue to do consulting for companies such as Lapoint. I also have some other exciting projects that are cooking at the moment, which will hopefully be released in a future not too far away! 

Mainly I just want to let my creativity and interests guide me - and trust that the future will unfold the way it’s meant to 😉 

(And continue surfing Ofcourse! ) 

Read more about the Berghs Bachelor program and make your application by December 15th here.