Though I’ve been working in the field of graphic design for over two decades, it started out as more of a side gig. Here’s how I came to be what I am today.
When I arrived at college, a little older than the typical American student, I really wasn’t sure what to major in. I settled on secondary ed. My very first semester I took freshmen English and did exceptionally well.
I can write.
At this point I decided I should find a career path that involved writing and picked the major least likely to pay more than a teacher’s salary.
Yep. Journalism.
For better or worse, once I got into the journalism department I discovered Television Production. Lots of buttons and knobs and visual things which diverted my attention from writing.
Since I didn’t have a minor I took a lot of classes that sounded interesting. Everything from synthesizer fundamentals to theatrical stage design…and desktop publishing. Finally in my senior year as I had completed most of my general eds and course work, I stumbled upon the advertising department. It turned out that USU had a great advertising department under the tutelage of Dr. Jon Anderson.
Why could I not have found this sooner? As a senior I took every freshman advertising class and even some advanced ones. We spent a lot of time writing headlines and developing concepts. I was hooked.
But I was also graduating.
I soon took the first broadcasting job I could get and moved to Davenport, IA. I already had a family started and WHBF-TV did not pay their production assistants very well so I took a second job at The Quad City Times doing stuff in QuarkXpress. Not very designy. But it gave me some experience.
After a couple years, at my wifes urging, I applied for and managed to get a job as an actual designer working for Red Jacket Pumps. My manager was also a journalist turned designer and very talented. Over the next few months he became a mentor of sorts.
Because I hadn’t really gone to design school I had to read a lot of magazines and ask a lot of questions but somehow I made it all work. And an enjoyable work it has been.
