Johanna Tannerfors thrives in creative chaos. While managing multiple work streams, client projects, and designers often require her to think three steps ahead, Pattern’s hyper-efficient Director of Project Management says she can’t imagine a better role. As the first full-time Pattern employee, she shares how Pattern co-founders Mike Janiak and Isaac Newton inspired her to leave her freelance lifestyle, the power of a human-centered approach, and the importance of simplifying—for teams and clients alike.

Tell us about your background. How did you discover Pattern?
I've been a project manager for over 10 years. I'm originally from Sweden and started at Hyper Island, a Swedish digital media school before moving to San Francisco for an internship. I worked in London for a while, and I’ve been an SF Bay Area project manager ever since. I worked for a range of agencies and startups, then I freelanced for seven years before I met Mike and Isaac.

How did you decide to join Pattern full time after so many years as a freelancer?
I met Mike and Isaac for coffee, and we connected right away. They were incredibly smart and caring, and they wanted to build a creative agency the right way. Cultural fit has always been incredibly important to me, and everyone at Pattern cares about each other. It’s a more human way to work.

Pattern is the first place that convinced me to go full time, which says a lot. After freelancing for so long, I never thought I would take a full-time role again. And even at Pattern, I started as a freelancer before joining as their first full-time employee in 2019. In the early days, we had a temporary office space, but we would often do our work from elsewhere, like over a good lunch between client meetings or at the cafe at the SFMOMA.

"Cultural fit has always been incredibly important to me, and everyone at Pattern cares about each other. It’s a more human way to work."

What does it mean to be Director of Project Management at Pattern?
I keep creative minds organized and help make sure things get done. I work with clients and the team day-to-day to keep everything moving forward. I’m also responsible for making sure everything finishes on time and within budget. I oversee our team of freelance project managers as well. I'm involved early on as we scope out projects and have initial conversations with clients. They usually send us a brief, and I figure out what the project will look like, including our budgets and timelines. Then I help with the proposal and stay involved through the final delivery.

In project management, you have to be three steps ahead of everybody else all the time. You have to be able to see into the future and to anticipate what’s coming. It’s a mix of keeping track of the details and reminding everyone to deliver on time. Our teams are pretty good at knowing what they need to do, but I’m there to keep everyone organized.

One unique thing about being a project manager at Pattern is that your design opinion matters as well. In design reviews, the team wants to hear from everyone, not just designers. So I always feel like I have a voice and that I’m a part of the work.

"When I started, we decided we were never going to use the word "resources" for people because people are human beings. That speaks to the human element of Pattern that ripples through our internal and client relationships."

What do you love about project management?
I've always been drawn to the creative and design industries. It’s a chance for me to be surrounded by creativity while doing what I’m best at: keeping everything very organized. And I like that digital design is constantly changing. You have to keep learning to keep up. When I started working in the digital design industry over 10 years ago, the iPhone wasn’t a focus yet; now, we often design for mobile before desktop.

I also love working with different clients in different industries. In my time at Pattern, we’ve done a coffee tasting at Equator Coffees’ roastery; we’ve toured the EO lab and learned how they make products, and we’ve just immersed ourselves in our clients’ worlds.

What have you learned in the past two and a half years?
The biggest learnings for me have come from being part of an agency from the start. I’ve learned what it takes to get a company off the ground, especially because we’re so transparent as a team. On the project management side, I’ve been able to set up our systems and processes from the beginning. I have loved defining what project management means at Pattern and helping us prepare to grow. For example, when I started we decided we were never going to use the word "resources" for people because people are human beings. That speaks to the human element of Pattern that ripples through our internal and client relationships.

What important tenets or values around project management have you brought to Pattern?
I believe in not over-complicating things. While some agencies tend to create reporting for the sake of reporting, I try to streamline everything as much as possible. I also think it’s important to remember that clients are humans, too. Sometimes the agency-to-client relationship can feel very formal, but we're just regular people talking to other people. We try to think of ourselves as one team or partnership working together toward a common goal.

And finally, as a project manager, it’s important to let the work flow. Creativity needs time and space without interruptions. My job is to plan and build processes that allow our creative team to do their best work.

What gets you stoked?
Good music and a good night's sleep. Right now I’m really into chill, electronic music like Kalya Scintilla. Travel is also a big passion for me. I like taking extended time off once in a while to go traveling, something Pattern really supports. I was in Australia earlier in the year and while travel isn’t quite the same right now, I still find time to get outdoors and go hiking closer to home.

"I believe in not over-complicating things. Creativity needs time and space without interruptions. My job is to plan and build processes that allow our creative team to do their best work."

What are you focused on right now and what’s next? 
Right now I'm running a bunch of projects, but I'm also working with Isaac to plan for next year. I’m thinking a lot about what project management will look like next year and who we need to hire to make that happen. I’m excited to add more people to our project management team. I’ve been a department of one for a long time. Once we build a team, I’ll be able to step into a true director role and I’ll be able to focus more on agency operations for the business as a whole.

Want to join Johanna on our next project? We’re looking for freelance designers and project managers to join our team. If crafting award-winning digital experiences for emerging and established consumer brands is your thing, get in touch!

About Pattern
Pattern is a digital design & e-commerce agency that helps brands succeed in the experience economy. We design modern brands, eCommerce experiences, products & platforms that help founders, disruptors and visionaries find their place at the intersection of culture, community & commerce.