Tell me a little about yourself (hometown, college, etc).

I was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. It’s known for being a tourist city on the coast, as well as hosting the largest naval base in the world. It was great living less than a mile from the ocean as a kid. Many summer days were spent on a bike on the boardwalk or swimming in the calm Atlantic Ocean.

Did you go to college? 

Yes. I attended Virginia Tech (Go Hokies) where I received my B.A. in Graphic Design and my B.A. in History.

Why did you choose to become a designer?

I’ve found my main life talents revolve around art; creating things by hand or computer. When I tried to explore non-art subjects in college I would notice there would be more illustrations than notes in my class notebooks. 

Who are your clients?

I’ve been lucky to have a few in-house creative jobs. And while I still telecommute as an “in-house” designer I also keep my schedule free to take on freelance projects. I love working with Nonprofits, small businesses, and anyone who is open and willing to let me create for them.

What software do you use the most?

I’m still loyal to the creative suite of Adobe- InDesign for page layouts, Illustrator for illustration, and Photoshop for photo work BUT Figma is now my program of choice. I also enjoy using Elementor Pro to create WordPress based websites.

What do you like the most about being a graphic designer?

Creating things for people and using visual imagery to explain things.