About Me

I have been a professional graphic designer since 1997 and have worked for a wide range of clients and industries. Since I've been on both sides of the interviewing table, I know that while a resumé can say a lot about a person, there's so much more a prospective employer may want to know. Many of the questions I'm asking myself here are questions I've asked other job seekers.

What is the No. 1 most important ability a graphic designer must have?

Communication. Raw talent is great (and necessary!) but without communication, a designer wouldn't know where or how to direct that talent. The ability to really listen and comprehend what the client is saying and the ability to express what the client is trying to say is absolutely essential. All the talent in the world cannot make up for or replace poor communication.

What kind of person (other than creative) are you?

I'm an extrovert (I get energized by social contact). I'm also very high energy ... one of those people who thrives when busy, and preferably, multi-tasking. I'm also a perfectionist. I'd rather have it done right the first time than try to fix it the second. I'm also a nurturer by nature. I like taking care of people.

What are your pet peeves? (Professional)

Messy files. I like to joke that if my house were my computer, it'd always be spotless. Alas for my family, they have to settle for merely clean-ish. But my computer files are impeccable.

Another one is poor communication. Nothing brings everything to a grinding halt faster than the inability (or unwillingness) to communicate.

What are your pet peeves? (Personal)

Whining. There's a very big difference between expressing a problem and then seeking ways of dealing with that problem and simply complaining endlessly about it. The evidence is in the action taken. Whiners don't even try. Even if the effort doesn't succeed something is accomplished. The journey can sometimes be more important than the destination.

What is the most important part of the design process?

This one is a trick question because if any of the major parts fall short, there is a potential for a pretty big problem. I break down the process into three aspects: Communication, Design, and Execution. While communication and design are almost the same (my personal philosophy is that communication and design are nearly synonyms), execution is equally important. Fabulous design — exactly as the client wants and needs it — relies on execution to communicate the client's message. So really, all the parts of the design process are equally important.

Tell me about one of your most difficult graphic design jobs and how did you deal with it.

I was in a situation where only after being professionally employed as a graphic designer for a little less than a year, my Art Director was laid off. Suddenly I found myself as an art department of one. For the first time I was all alone dealing with a large sales staff, outside clients, vendors and multiple bosses. (Think Office Space.) I was clueless about office politics and new to handling issues outside simply doing the design and production work. I made plenty of newbie mistakes and I tried really hard to look like I knew what I was doing, and often failed miserably.

Finally I got my first review (ever) I could tell that the two bosses conducting the review were about to blast me for all my mistakes. Fortunately, the first question they asked was where I was employed before working there. Upon hearing that it was at Kuztown's Student Activity Center (as a student) the entire tone of the meeting shifted. Instead of being annoyed at how many rookie mistakes I had made, they were surprised at how many I didn't make. They ended up giving me some really great advice and became mentors to me.

I learned that it's actually okay to not know something ... as long as you try to learn. Instead of pretending, admit that it's something you need to look into, and then find out, come back and do it.

What is one of your best qualities?

I'm very much a people person. To me, developing good working relationships is an art unto itself. I love the challenge of learning how to work with the many varied personalities that a person encounters in the workforce.

In what area do you need the most improvement or growth? What are you doing about that now?

Probably in my initial reactions. I'm emotionally driven so my first reaction is usually to feel before I think. Fortunately, I've gotten really good at keeping my composure (I have a great poker face), and I never send out any e-mail before I've read and edited it 3 times. (I'm also a lousy speller. Thank goodness for spell check!)

Your resumé only covers your graphic design experience. What other jobs have you had and what did you learn from them that helps you now?

Oh, I've had lots of jobs!

I was a receptionist — that's where I learned my phone skills. I now have a huge amount of respect for receptionists and administrative assistants. That's one tough job!

For five summers I was a camp counselor — that's where I learned leadership and teaching/mentoring skills. (I also can start a camp fire with one match!) I also learned from being a camp counselor about different personalities and how they react to one another. In my opinion, UN Ambassadors should try a summer of camp counseling before going on assignment. Knowing and understanding personality types and how to react to them can keep a simple disagreement from becoming an all-out war.

In high school I also made and sold beaded jewelry for random spending money. I learned quite a bit from that — the importance of perfect execution, how to self-start (I wasn't going to sell anything if I waited around for someone to tell me to make some jewelry), finding customers and convincing them to buy, and the fine line between pricing for profit and pricing to sell.