How'd You Get that Cool Job Kate Lewis? Issue #38

Babe in Toyland

By Amy Westervelt
Published: December 1st, 2008 | 12:00am

Making kids happy while making decent cash; what’s not to like? For San Francisco-based toy designer Kate Lewis, it’s the recipe for a pretty amazing life. She had to work hard to get there, but with a little elbow grease and a lot of talent, Lewis was able to fulfill the dream of spending her days deciding things like whether a smiling elephant should have teeth or not.

Name: Kate Lewis

Age: 26

Occupation: Toy Designer

Training required? It certainly isn’t child’s play: Kate holds a Bachelors Degree in Industrial Design from the Rochester Insititute of Technology, has studied design at the Bauhaus, and held a two-year internship with KEK Design Associates. After graduation she joined LeapFrog as an entry-level toy designer and eventually worked her way up to Design Manager at Disney Consumer Products, leaving that position just a few months ago to work for herself.

Salary: Lewis explains that entry-level toy-designing positions pay around $50,000 annually, but with a few years experience that amount can double or triple. With contract and freelance work now occupying her day-to-day, Lewis’ income depends on how many projects she’s willing to take on and how much she decides to charge for each of her brilliant new toy ideas.

Hours: For Lewis, like much of the self-employed workforce, this is a tough number to nail down, “I try to work at least 20 hours per week, but work can be unpredictable so I have to take it as it comes,” explains Lewis. “I’ve spent weekends working 14-hour days and I’ve also spent entire weeks not doing any work at all.”

Fun Stuff: “I’m lucky that my work is something I would do whether I was paid for it or not,” Lewis says. “I love to draw, I love to look at pretty things, and I love children. I’m constantly amused by e-mail discussions about ridiculous topics, like whether a smiling elephant should have teeth or not.”

Yucky Stuff: “If the project is really interesting, I have a tendency to get lost in it and sit at my desk for hours at a time, so I try to get out of the house during the day, because there have been days where I realize its 6 p.m. and, outside of e-mail, I haven’t spoken to anyone all day.”

Words of Wisdom: “Clients are hiring you for your ideas, so create products that you love,” Lewis advises. “Also, be nice to everyone you work with because your current colleagues might be your clients one day.”