I am a graphic designer! I want to share with you about being a graphic designer. I have been in this field most of my whole life. I started out in graphic design in high school and continued in college in the study. Check out the picture of me from 2004, 12 years ago, see picture below in this blog post.
Graphic Design Study in High School
At Fulton in the graphics program I got to do a little bit of everything but run a printing press. I got to do the design work and typesetting on a computer. I even got to use the dark room to make the negatives. I got to do the strip and plate making to get the plates ready to go on a press. I even got to do bindery work, work like using the cutter and even the stitcher to stable booklets. I graduated Fulton High School in 1995. I had Graphic Arts I and Communications Graphics I with Mr. Miracle.
Graphic Design Study in College
I even went to Pellissippi State Technical Community College where I majored in Communications Graphic Technology. I got my Associates of Applied Sciences from there in 2000. I got to take many graphic design classes and learn graphic design programs like Quark Xpress, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Extreme 3D and more. One of my most notable professors who I had the most often was David Gilbert. He was very knowledgeable in the field and the programs. Even another professor I remembered was Vida Hashemian. She was very helpful in encouraging students. She even got me set up with an internship at WebCentric, because she knew I enjoyed the web.
Graphic Design Internship
My internship at WebCentric, I didn’t get to do much but was told to learn a few programs like Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Flash.
Graphic Designer at Star Publications
I graduated college and moved to Michigan where I worked for Star Publications. They put together several newspapers with in the area called the Star Papers. Where I lived, Gaylord, MI the paper in that area was Northern Star. I worked there for almost two years. I got to use Quark Xpress and Photoshop. I mainly built advertisements that went to the many papers they had. I even got to design a grocery store circular each week for Hub Market while I was there. I was a graphic designer the whole time I was there. I even learned how to do paste up and prep the paper to go to the press to be printed. Then we had to collect for output and take the zip disk to the printers.
Graphic Designer at Infostie Survey Group
I then moved back back to Tennessee and got a job at Infosite Survey Group. We did a lot of work in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. I got to reimage photographs of buildings with signage. I had to remove the existing sign in Adobe Photoshop and show what they new sign would look like. In Adobe Illustrator we did what was called site plans. It was a layout, like CAD, of the building the near by streets and special markers where all the signs are and where the surveyor took their pictures. I worked a year and half there before they closed down. When they closed down I was considered the lead graphic designer because I was the graphic designer with the most seniority.
Graphic Designer at The Knoxville Journal
I then got a job at The Knoxville Journal. We did the weekly newspaper and other special publications like Touring the Smokies and the Vol Guide plus more. I mostly built advertisements and pagination, helping layout the newspaper and special publications. I went sent the pages of the paper to the printing press via ftp and using a pdf file. I primary worked in Quark XPress and Adobe Photoshop. I actually worked four years here. When I left the company I was the Art Director and only full time graphic designer there. I worked 60-80 a week and paid salary of 40 hours. I even got 4th Place for the Vol Guide form the Tennessee Press Association in 2008.
Graphic Designer at The Farragut Press
I then went to work at the Farragut Press. There I was a graphic designer doing advertisement design and pagination. The Farragut Press did at least one special publication a month. Here I also go to send pages to the printer via ftp using pdf files. I worked a little over three years at the Farragut Press. I mostly used Quark Xpress and Adobe Photoshop. We used very little of Adobe Illustrator. I even got to learn Adobe InDesign. While working here Farragut Press bought the Clinton Courier. So we go to do the advertisement design of those advertisements too.
Currently in Graphic Design …
I currently work for the Smoky Mountain Trader and the Tri-State Connection doing the graphic design of the paper. I even help with the classifieds there. I have been here for almost three years now. I get to use Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop all the time. Sometimes we use Adobe InDesign. Here we sent the pdf files to the printers via ftp.
I even currently do some graphic design for my church, Piedmont Baptist Church. I will design our fliers or handouts about special events at the church. I even have done a few designs for a few ministries including this ministry, Courageous Christian Father.
Enjoyed Graphic Designing
I have really enjoyed doing graphic design work. From all the places I got to work and even all the people I got to meet. I even have done a few, note a few freelance projects. Those have been very few in my life, most of my work has been with these jobs listed above.
Learning in Graphic Design
It has been fun learning about the newsprint and newspaper industries. My portfolio is all advertisement design. I truly believe God blessed me both with a talent as I use it for a job and also a gift, as I use it for his benefit too. I will also say you always learn something new in graphic design.
Hire me to do graphic design!
I can do advertisement design, business cards, flyers, brochures, newsletters and much more. If you wish to have some graphic design done up, feel free to contact me or click Graphic Design Services.
About the Author
Sharing is Caring! Please Share!
Discover more from Courageous Christian Father
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.