Renata Graczyk

Why this persona fits the audience

She makes Discord, Snapchat, and WhatsApp-style screenshots for portfolio pieces, student campaigns, and paid side gigs, usually starting from rough copy in Notion and finishing the mockup in a free browser tool. Her work is occasional and price-sensitive, with no formal team process around it.

• Age: 24
• Location: Warsaw, Poland
• Occupation: Design student and part-time freelancer
• Income: €14k-€22k
• Education: Bachelor's in progress
• Company size: 1 (freelance)
• Years in role: 2

““Every project is a chance to learn something new, whether it's a tricky layout or just how to manage my time better. It’s all about building something cool and growing with it.””

Renata Graczyk is a 24-year-old woman in Warsaw, Poland, currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Design while navigating the freelance world. Her income fluctuates, generally falling between €14k and €22k annually, largely dependent on the success of her part-time design gigs. She grew up in a middle-class family in a smaller Polish city, where her early interest in digital art and computers was fostered by supportive parents who encouraged her academic pursuits. After moving to Warsaw for university, she discovered the vibrant student design scene and the necessity of supplementing her allowance. She began offering her services to fellow students, creating visual assets and realistic-looking chat screenshots for their project presentations and online campaigns. This led to more consistent, albeit occasional, paid freelance work. Renata’s approach to her side hustle is very hands-on; she uses Notion to organize project briefs and rough concepts, then leverages free browser-based tools to generate her signature chat mockups for platforms like Discord, Snapchat, and WhatsApp. She doesn't have a formal team structure and handles all client communication and project execution herself. Her decisions are often driven by a need for flexibility, allowing her to prioritize her studies when necessary. She recently decided to invest more time in learning advanced prototyping tools, seeing it as a crucial step towards her long-term career goals, even though it means less time for immediate paid projects. She is very conscious of her budget, viewing her freelance earnings as supplementary and often reinvesting them in software subscriptions or online courses rather than immediate personal luxuries. Her primary constraint is time, constantly balancing academic demands with client deadlines and personal development, which shapes her pragmatic approach to work and life.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Renata's typical weekday begins around 8 AM with a quick breakfast and checking urgent messages from clients or project collaborators. She then heads to university for lectures and studio sessions, often using public transport to review notes or browse design inspiration on her phone. Lunch is usually a quick, packed meal. After classes, she might spend an hour at the university library working on assignments or attending a study group. Evenings are dedicated to freelance work – refining chat mockups in a browser tool, updating Notion with progress, or responding to client inquiries. She usually eats dinner with her roommates, then might spend time in a Discord server or watching a design tutorial before winding down around midnight.

Lifestyle

Renata shares a lively, slightly cluttered apartment near the university with two other students, splitting rent to manage finances. Her weekdays are a juggling act between classes and design work, with evenings often spent refining mockups or engaging in Discord chats. Weekends might involve exploring Warsaw's art scene, grabbing pierogi with friends, or diving into a new design tutorial. She's conscious of her spending, favoring public transport and cooking at home, but occasionally splurges on art supplies or a new subscription service if it fuels her creative pursuits. She values her independence and the ability to set her own schedule.

Work life

Renata's freelance work is sporadic but crucial for supplementing her student budget and building her portfolio. She primarily takes on small projects creating realistic-looking chat screenshots for fellow students' campaign mockups or for independent creators needing visual assets for social media. Her workspace is her laptop on her desk or the kitchen table, using Notion for initial project notes and concept sketches, then a free online tool for the final mockups. Communication with clients is usually through email or DMs. Deadlines can be tight, especially when juggling multiple student projects and a paid gig, but she thrives on the challenge of delivering polished results quickly.

Relationships

Renata relies heavily on her two roommates for daily support and shared experiences. Her closest friends are fellow design students she met at university, forming a small but tight-knit group who critique each other's work and share industry insights. She maintains a good relationship with her parents, who support her studies but are sometimes perplexed by her freelance career path. Her primary professional influences come from online design communities and established designers she follows on social media.

How they decide

Renata is generally pragmatic and research-oriented when it comes to tools or significant purchases. For creative software or freelance resources, she'll often trial free versions, read reviews from peers, and watch comparison videos before committing time or money. She's influenced by what her immediate peer group is using and recommending, especially if it's a free or low-cost solution that proves effective. For smaller, routine needs, her decisions are more impulsive, driven by immediate utility.

How they sound

Her voice is generally clear and articulate, with a moderate pace. She uses standard Polish, occasionally peppering in English design terms like 'workflow,' 'mockup,' 'iterable,' or 'asset' naturally within conversations. She tends to avoid overly corporate jargon or overly casual slang, aiming for a friendly but professional tone when discussing her work. When excited about a new design technique, her speech might become more animated and slightly faster.