photo by Carolyn McGinty
My professional life began in the newspaper business. I was already a detail freak when
I started as a copy editor, with the intention of moving up to bigger and bigger publications. Then I laid out my first page and discovered that designing the whole package was even more fun than quibbling over details. I still want to copy edit everything I read — once a nitpicker, always a nitpicker — but now I appreciate the bigger picture as well.
I started as a copy editor, with the intention of moving up to bigger and bigger publications. Then I laid out my first page and discovered that designing the whole package was even more fun than quibbling over details. I still want to copy edit everything I read — once a nitpicker, always a nitpicker — but now I appreciate the bigger picture as well.
The best part of my next position, in P.R. and marketing, was seeing graphics projects through the process, from determining the purpose of a piece and its audience, to designing it and then working with local printers to ensure the best possible final product. Being the only graphic designer on Miami University’s Middletown campus was pretty cool, too.
In the catalog business, I learned that white space was valuable real estate, not to be wasted by using it for, well, white space! I juggled tasks ranging from page production to deadline enforcement. It was the toughest job I’ve ever had, and with every deadline (eleven a year)
I sharpened my communication, coordination and organizational skills.
I sharpened my communication, coordination and organizational skills.
As a freelancer, I had the opportunity to work on such a wide variety of projects. Now I'm back in the newspaper business, and still always looking for new challenges to keep the creative wheels spinning.
I’ve carried with me so much of what I learned when I started out: the importance of deadlines, of course, but also of clarity and precision, of not mucking up the presentation with a misspelled word or an incorrect detail. As my career has evolved, I’ve applied those rules to design projects: make it look great, yes, but also get it done on time and get it right.
Take a look around, and if I can help with your next project, I hope you'll be in touch. Thanks for visiting!