Statement
I joined The Messenger under the impression that the only thing I would be doing was writing, and I spent the majority of my first two years on staff doing just that. It wasn’t until the end of my sophomore year that I branched out and began exploring design, starting with infographics. From there, my interest quickly expanded to include traditional page layouts, illustrations, photo manipulation, interactive graphics, and more.
Graphic design constantly challenges me to step out of my comfort zone; every one of the twenty-something design assignments I received this year had me experimenting with new tools and methods of presenting information, whether they were for news, features, or opinions articles. For instance, the photo editing required for “The Next Step” forced me to master Photoshop’s tools and layers, the conveyor belt in “Industry Standards” forced me to play with text flow and non-traditional page layouts, and the cover of “Cracking Under Cultural Expectations” forced me to think outside the box about how to relate the design directly to the writing and best depict the pressure cultural beauty standards exert on individuals. With its limitless possibilities, design grants me a degree of creative freedom I cannot achieve in any other aspect of my life.
Even more importantly, though, design allows me to make a difference through my work; writing may be an effective form of communication, but design elevates stories and inspires readers in a way words alone cannot. Realizing this, I did my best to teach our staffers design over winter break and during second semester. I held virtual lessons on basic design principles, examples of good design, and Indesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop tools, but with only little icons staring back at me on Microsoft Teams, I had no way of knowing whether anyone was paying attention. Even in small group calls we organized to give feedback on designs for print magazines, I found it difficult to communicate exactly what needed fixing without being able to access staffers’ laptops. It was frustrating, to say the least, but I’m proud to say that in the end, our staff still managed to design two issues that the Northview community thoroughly enjoyed.
Although I haven’t been able to do as much teaching as I wanted this year, it is my hope that during my final year on the Messenger staff, I can help the next lost soul that wanders into our journalism lab discover their passion for design and its unique ability to captivate.
Graphic design constantly challenges me to step out of my comfort zone; every one of the twenty-something design assignments I received this year had me experimenting with new tools and methods of presenting information, whether they were for news, features, or opinions articles. For instance, the photo editing required for “The Next Step” forced me to master Photoshop’s tools and layers, the conveyor belt in “Industry Standards” forced me to play with text flow and non-traditional page layouts, and the cover of “Cracking Under Cultural Expectations” forced me to think outside the box about how to relate the design directly to the writing and best depict the pressure cultural beauty standards exert on individuals. With its limitless possibilities, design grants me a degree of creative freedom I cannot achieve in any other aspect of my life.
Even more importantly, though, design allows me to make a difference through my work; writing may be an effective form of communication, but design elevates stories and inspires readers in a way words alone cannot. Realizing this, I did my best to teach our staffers design over winter break and during second semester. I held virtual lessons on basic design principles, examples of good design, and Indesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop tools, but with only little icons staring back at me on Microsoft Teams, I had no way of knowing whether anyone was paying attention. Even in small group calls we organized to give feedback on designs for print magazines, I found it difficult to communicate exactly what needed fixing without being able to access staffers’ laptops. It was frustrating, to say the least, but I’m proud to say that in the end, our staff still managed to design two issues that the Northview community thoroughly enjoyed.
Although I haven’t been able to do as much teaching as I wanted this year, it is my hope that during my final year on the Messenger staff, I can help the next lost soul that wanders into our journalism lab discover their passion for design and its unique ability to captivate.