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We begin this conversation with Carina sharing her childhood in Tennessee, where creativity was a necessity due to financial constraints. She explained how her mother, who is from Malaysia, met her father, who was serving an LDS mission in England. Carina Gardner chose a communications and marketing degree rather than an art degree, as she had been told art couldn’t be a viable career path.

Carina discovered her passion for graphic design while working on marketing materials during her final year of undergraduate studies. She described how her research on signs in Maputo, Mozambique led to acceptance into a master’s program at the University of Minnesota in 2002, where she also began teaching. Carina Gardner shared insights about the industry shift from Quark to Adobe software in the early 2000s, noting how Quark’s decision to pull their university licenses actually helped Adobe gain market dominance.

Carina Gardner earned a PhD after completing her master’s degree, then started her business, Carina Gardner Inc., while freelancing, eventually building a successful digital scrapbooking business with contracts from companies such as Mind’s Eye and Northcott Fabrics. Later, she worked with Echo Park to create Carta Bella paper.

We discuss how to build an audience using existing marketplaces and what benchmark to reach before embarking on building your own website to have the highest chances of success. We also talk about how to gain the confidence needed to negotiate design contracts.

Carina explains the differences between designing for different surfaces like fabric, wallpaper, and scrapbook paper. We talk about the evolution of the scrapbooking industry, explaining how it shifted from a high-demand craft in the early 2000s to a more niche activity as digital alternatives and photo books became popular. Carina suggests that entering the market during a downturn could be advantageous if done correctly.

Carina also ran a children’s product company and talks about building that company before deciding strategically to shut it down. Carina explains her transition from running a design business to teaching at a university, explaining that while she loves design, education has become her life calling due to seeing the positive impact on her students.

She explains the evolution of her program into a licensed university due to demand for college-level education that includes both design and business skills. The program recently implemented dual enrollment for students as young as 14, allowing them to earn college credit while building their business skills. We also touch on the impact of AI on design and what the future might hold.

And, of course, I asked Carina to recommend great stuff she’s enjoying right now. Carina recommends:

• Started the Seeking Persephone Regency Romance books
• Sewing and adjusting costumes for my daughter
• Direct-to-film heat pressing

Keep up with Carina on Instagram at the University of Art & Design.