Last week, we welcomed Amber Weaver founder of TYPE01, to speak with Creative Opps Members. This session brought together emerging designers from across our network to hear Amber’s story, explore the realities of building a creative career, and ask direct questions about everything from breaking into the industry to spotting future design trends.
TYPE01 is design brand that has evolved into a global platform for typography and graphic design. Today, it spans a magazine, an independent type foundry, a font marketplace (Type Department), and a creative studio — all united by her mission to champion type designers and push the boundaries of contemporary visual culture.
Amber’s route into the industry was far from linear. She discovered graphic design at 19 during a foundation course at Camberwell College of Arts, arriving without the networks or early exposure many of her peers had. “I looked around and thought — I have no business competing with these people,” she recalled.
Instead of chasing the same internships, she sought smaller studios she admired, following their founders online to spot unadvertised openings. That persistence led to a low-paid e-commerce assistant role at People of Print, where she learned skills in Shopify, sponsorship, and marketing that would prove invaluable.
After publishing FEM Type, a book spotlighting women in type design, she decided to build her own platform from scratch. Starting with an Instagram account and months of unpaid work, she grew a loyal audience that fuelled her first revenue stream — and the foundation of Type01.
Key Insights
“If you want to start a creative business, you have to dedicate yourself completely — or not bother at all.”
Amber’s honesty set the tone for her conversation with the Creative Opps cohort. She was clear that building Type01wasn’t a smooth, glamorous journey. “For the first seven months, I had no money coming in. I’d been broke before, but this was a new level of broke,” she admitted.
On the realities of the job market, she didn’t sugarcoat it:
“You’re competing with the top 1% of talent — unless you know somebody. If you don’t, you have to be so good they can’t ignore you.”
That means building work that attracts attention, rather than endlessly applying for internships. “Stop applying for a bit and create something that makes people come to you,” she urged.
She also shared her perspective as someone on the hiring side:
“When I look at portfolios, I skim. If nothing catches my eye in the first 10 seconds, I close it. Keep it short, visual, and easy to access.”
These candid reflections, along with audience questions, opened up a series of practical insights worth carrying into any creative career.
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Key Takeaways from Amber Weaver’s Creative Opps Session
1. Build your own platform before chasing opportunities Creating your own space to share work — even if it’s just a dedicated Instagram — not only develops your skills but gives studios a reason to approach you.
2. Be the asset, not just the applicant Studios want people who bring value beyond core design skills. “If you know Shopify, if you can set up an e-commerce store, you’re instantly more useful to a client-facing team,” Amber explained.
3. Keep outreach short and sharp Whether it’s an email or a portfolio, brevity matters. Targeted, visual, and easy-to-skim work gets far more attention than lengthy descriptions or generic pitches.
4. Test ideas before investing heavily For members interested in publishing, Amber recommended small print runs or pre-orders to validate demand and cover costs before committing to larger production.
5. Follow — and anticipate — design trends Amber sees a clear industry shift toward “expressive but considered” typography, with bold messaging designed to grab attention in seconds.
6. Side projects and commercial work have different pressures A passion zine can prioritise community and grants; a commercial magazine needs sustainable revenue streams from day one.
This mix of realism, resourcefulness, and creative ambition is what makes Amber’s journey resonate. Whether you’re aiming to work in a studio, run your own business, or launch a side project, her advice is clear: start where you are, keep building, and make your work impossible to ignore.
If you’d like to witness more Conversations like these, consider applying for Creative Opps Membership: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/b2RmEt4CCv