Photo Notes
documenting experiences via flickr from my mobile phone.
Chili Burger Heaven
Introductions are in order
I am a graphic designer and creative director with a passion for concept, the touch for print, a vision for electronic media, the intuition for strategic planning, a heart for education, the curiosity of a researcher and a lack of patience for mediocrity. My work’s purpose is to solve communication problems with clarity and meaning while promoting my clients’ enterprises, fueling my students’ pursuits and supporting my colleagues’ efforts. With over a decade of design experience in print, publication, identity and web coupled with my current pursuit of an MFA in Design through the design research-based program at The University of North Texas, I am researching problems through the lens of user centered design while applying my experience and findings educating future designers as a Teaching Fellow at UNT.
A Bit of History
My design career started in first grade by following instructions from Ed Emberley’s drawing book Make a World to create panoramas out of everyday shapes. In third grade I bought a typography book from a Scholastic Book Fair and by the time I took my first art class in 8th grade I knew my future was as an artist. My junior year in high school I learned the term “commercial artist” which set a point on the horizon for my future career. As an undergraduate a Texas Tech University, I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design Communication while also sharpening my writing skills by earning a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing.
Where I’m Headed
After 11 years in the design industry designing for clients, in agencies and as part of in-house departments, writing content and directing creatives I decided to pursue a career teaching design while extending my practice through focusing on design research. Upon earning my Master of Fine Arts in Design-Innovation Studies (anticipated in May 2013) I endeavor to secure a faculty position teaching in a communication design program while focusing my research efforts on solving real-world design problems that make a difference for real-world people both inside and outside of the design community.
For more of the nitty-gritty details, download a PDF of my Curriculum Vitae and feel free to contact me via any of the outlets below for a chance to chat.
About This Site
As something of a living experiment, I hand coded this entire site using WordPress as a content management system and the Twentyeleven theme as a starting point. If you haven’t tried this site on any device other than a desktop, you’re missing out on the magic of media queries in CSS… this site is completely responsive to the type of device through which it is being displayed. I’ve learned a lot from the process, which I will apply to future projects as well as papers I am writing to share what I have learned.
