Savannah O., a recent graduate from Northeastern University, explains her love of graphic design, especially magazine and book design.
What do you like about being a graphic designer?
I like the process of putting publications like books and magazines together. It allows me to still be creative, but also stay within set brand guidelines. I follow certain visual rules to make the magazine look better and consistent. To be a graphic designer you need to be organized and have good attention to detail. I’m very organized. I’m really grateful, because being organized makes my job easier.
What do you like about what you do in your current job?
I work for a magazine that’s based out of Florida. Once a month I get sent a bunch of articles, advertisements, and photographs to go with those articles. I basically just put them all together in a magazine format and I’m able to put them in order and spots in the magazine that I think is most beneficial to whoever reads it.
What would your dream job be and what can you do to prepare for it?
My dream job would be to own my own design firm where I would work with different authors or artists to make books. I guess some things I could do before that happens is to just keep making books and keep making magazines, whether it’s mock projects or just reading more about the book publishing industry and just practicing more because practice makes perfect.
That was my final question, do you want to add anything?
Yes. It’s important to know that graphic design, or art in general, wasn’t always my original focus when I went to college. I was majoring in something else. But then I eventually started making magazines for fun on my computer. It turned out to be something I really enjoyed and was good at, so I was able to pursue that and follow my passion in school. It’s important to keep your mind open when it comes to what you want to do in the future. Focus more on what you like to do and what interests you more than anything else.
From Ms. Smith: To coincide with the launch of Mannheim Middle School’s PaCE framework, the MMS Newsroom presents a series of college- and career-focused interviews by MMS students. What is PaCE? PaCE guidelines help students to develop a growth mindset, recognize their strengths, build confidence, and plan for college and careers.
