A little about me…
I guess you could say I've been interested in graphic design since I was ten years old. That's around the time that I sat in on a photo-shoot for a new product my father's company was going to feature at a trade show in Toronto. I remember meeting with the photographer one day, and then a couple of weeks later seeing the finished sell-sheet, and wondering how they got all the words to appear around the picture. Did the camera do that? Were the words around the instrument the entire time that we were taking the pictures, and I just never noticed? I was really curious how they were able to get it all to work. Little did I know that one experience would spark a passion for graphic design ten+ years later.I'd always been a decent artist. Throughout elementary and middle school I quickly became identified as the kid that could draw any comic book or cartoon character you could think of. It was great for a while, especially when it came to getting extra credit for helping teachers out with their bulletin board displays or classroom decorations. By the time high school rolled around, I had pretty much come to the conclusion that I was going to focus on art in college; it was something I was obviously good at, and I didn't think my plans of becoming the starting forward for the Detroit Red Wings was going to pan out, so why fight it.
What I wasn't prepared for was that every other Freshman design major at Keene State College was just as good, if not better, an artist as I was. Luckily for me, the situation at KSC was about to change in a big way. The school was in the process of upgrading the computer-lab, replacing the Macintosh SE's with Apple Quadras, and they were making the switch from PageMaker and Freehand to Quark Xpress, Illustrator, and Photoshop. This was exactly the opportunity I was looking for. All of a sudden there was a level playing field, and I knew if I wanted to start to separate myself from the rest of my classmates, that I had to learn these programs as quickly as I could.
And that's just what I did. Within no time, even my college professors were suggesting my name to other students and faculty members whenever there was a need for custom art work. And as a bonus, freelancing certainly helped diversify my portfolio at the time. But what that experience really did was teach me a very important lesson every graphic designer should learn, and that is, just like any other craftsman it is important that you understand the tools of your trade. A designer can have the most brilliant design ever conceived, but if they're not able to successfully execute that idea, then it doesn't do anyone any good.
That's the philosophy that I adhere to today. I am always sure to stay current with every skill-set that's available to me as a graphic designer. My problem solving skills are constantly being tested, and I enjoy being presented with a problem to solve and all of the steps and challenges that happen along the way. Each obstacle that I am able to overcome during the design process makes my final solution that much stronger, and in the end, it's that level of excitement and fulfillment in the process that makes me proud of the work that I do. More importantly, it's that drive and determination that keeps me excited about being a graphic designer. Besides, how many people do you know that are still interested in something they first learned about when they were just ten years old?