Learning to Design with Heart: My Journey at Integrity Marketing

From the Classroom to the Real World

When I graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2022 with a degree in Visual Communication, I believed I was ready for the world. I had studied color, layout, UX principles, and built plenty of mock websites in Figma. But then I got my first real job—and I realized I was just beginning.

First Week at Integrity

Starting at Integrity: Stressful but Full of Kindness

Joining Integrity Marketing Services (integritymarketing.biz) was both exciting and intimidating. English is my second language, and the cultural shift from school to a workplace in the U.S. was big. However, I am gald that everyone at the company was friendly and welcoming, but I still felt nervous and stressed every single day.

From Figma to WordPress: Learning All Over Again

I quickly learned that while I knew how to design, I didn’t know how to build websites using WordPress—which is the main tool at Integrity. I used it only once at school before. At first, I didn’t get to design entire websites. I helped with small updates and tried to apply what I learned in school. But it was hard to connect classroom knowledge to the fast pace of client work.

Mentorship and Mistakes: Learning by Watching

My mentor, Matt, changed everything. He invited me into his process. We designed websites “together”—which really meant I observed and asked questions while he worked his WordPress magic. Slowly, I started trying to design websites on my own. Looking back, my first five (okay, maybe ten) websites were not great—but they were important. Each one helped me grow.

First Team Bonding Moment

A Company That Builds People, Not Just Websites

As time went on, I realized that what helped me improve wasn’t just practice. It was the culture of Integrity. You may not know our name—we're a small marketing company in Kirkland, WA—but we’re powerful because of our people.

The leaders here don’t expect you to know everything. They don’t wait for you to be a “star.” Instead, they create a supportive environment where you’re free to ask questions, make mistakes, and learn.

Real Leadership Means Caring About Growth

In our quarterly reviews, managers don’t just check in on performance. They ask:

“How can the company helped you grow?”When I first started, I didn’t know how to answer. I thought I was already doing okay. But later, I started saying, “I want to take the next step. I want to learn more about UX research.”

That shift in mindset—wanting to improve and asking for more responsibility—came from the trust and encouragement I felt every day.

Team Bonding in Nature – Suncadia Retreat

Uncommon Service: Building Systems That Grow People

This reminds me of something powerful from Uncommon Service by Frances Frei & Anne Morriss. In Chapter 4, they write:

“Great service doesn’t come from hiring stars. It comes from building systems that help ordinary people succeed.”

That sentence stayed with me because it perfectly captures what I’ve experienced at Integrity Marketing Services.

They don’t expect you to be perfect on day one. Instead, they invest in you—with time, trust, and opportunities. The focus isn’t just on what you can do today, but on what you’re capable of becoming, with the right support. That’s a system. That’s culture. That’s leadership.

One moment that really stood out to me was when Dylan, one of our leaders, asked me and other designers if we wanted to attend a design conference in Seattle. He said something like,

“If this is valuable to you, then it’s valuable to us, too.”

That sentence was so simple, but it meant a lot. It showed me that our company sees professional growth as a shared benefit—not just a personal goal. They believe when a team member grows, the whole company grows. And that belief becomes action: offering to sponsor learning opportunities, encouraging conference attendance, and giving space for new ideas to be shared.

It’s not just about teaching me how to use WordPress or critique a layout. It’s about equipping me to think bigger, to explore new areas of UX, and to bring back insights that can shape the future of our work.

That kind of support—ongoing, intentional, and personalized—is rare. It reflects what Frei and Morriss call “building a service model that delivers excellence by design, not by accident.” Integrity didn’t just get lucky with good people. They built a system that helps people become good at what they do, and love the process of getting there.

I used to think professional development was something you had to chase on your own, outside of work hours. But now I see it differently. In the right environment, your growth becomes part of the job—and that’s the kind of workplace I want to be part of.

Gratitude for Growth and Good People

I’m deeply thankful for leaders like Matt, Dylan and everyone at Integrity team, who didn’t just show me how to be a better designer—they showed me how to grow as a person. They created a space where I could be honest, curious, and brave enough to keep learning.

Design isn’t just about tools. It’s about people. And I’m proud to work at a company that builds both.