Meet Sarah Lennon | Creative Director & Lead Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Lennon and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I would say constantly adapting to a rapidly changing World. In the 20+ years since we started Big Orange Planet the fundamentals of website design and the overall factors that underpin the internet have constantly been in flux and ever evolving.
To put that in some perspective, for many years we designed websites in Adobe (Macromedia back then) Flash. As this software requires a mouse, Flash websites died out as smartphones became ubiquitous, they can’t function on a phone.
So learning and adopting new technologies is key.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I realized I loved art from an early age , and indeed won my high school art prize on 2 occasions. In terms of the artistic software I use and study of web and graphic design styles and trends, I have always been self taught.
I’m proud of how long I’ve been successfully self employed, doing something I love. Certainly there are times its been a struggle. During the 2008 recession for example it was very hard to get projects in the door- nobody had money to spend. The pandemic changed the way we meet prospective clients, with zoom calls replacing in person meetings.
In terms of lessons learned I think there are several, never give up being one of the most obvious. Adaptation to new trends and techniques is key, looking at websites made by others to generate ideas, seeking inspiration whereever it may be found. Its important to listen to clients while guiding them in appropriate directions.
I like people to know we’ve been here since the internet’s early days, and have been rolling with its evolution ever since. Also we wish folks to know our standards are very high, we are incapable of producing average products.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Actually a good friend was visiting from Sydney just recently for work. As my husband and I are from Ireland and the UK respectively., we tend to get a lot of overseas visitors- family and friends. With Jason we did as we always do- take visitors to Red Rocks. Its a unique and memorable location, and an easy quick drive.
I also took Jason to the Providence Tavern in Edgewater (a few blocks from my home, and where I tend to meet my friends).
We went downtown where we visited 5 on Lawrence, a recently opened sports bar near Coors Field.
Had we had more time I likely would have taken him to a game, as all the stadiums/arenas are right downtown, and American sports tend to fascinate and confuse foreigners.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family- my husband and 2 sons. My husband works directly with me on our business and our boys support our ideas and lifestyle.
Website: https://www.bigorangeplanet.com/denver-web-design/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_rory_lennon/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/big-orange-planet/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bigorangeplanetwebsites/videos
Image Credits
Sarah Lennon