What is your overriding professional goal?
To help teams do their very best creative and on-target work by keeping them organized, motivated, and on track to meet their goals. I love tweaking processes and identifying efficiencies that can help free up time and energy to focus on the good stuff. Nothing is more satisfying than clearing an obstacle in order to allow a team to get down to the creative task at hand!
How do you explain what you do to ‘regular people?’
A design professor once told our class that good design is a way to slow stuff down on its way to the trash can. It’s not a glamorous description but it’s true, when you really think about it! Smart design makes people slow down and take a closer look. REALLY smart design can make people go a step further and take action.
What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?
I developed the brand for a Department of Defense program called the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). The program supports military families with special needs, such as a physical disability, as they navigate the military lifestyle of frequent relocations. Our team ran with the brand and created a huge range of materials ranging from print collateral, exhibits, eNewsletters, eLearning curriculum, videos, coloring pages for kids, to outreach kits. The program has a giant impact on military families and as a child of a career Marine, it was close to my heart.
What is your non-work creative outlet?
I made a new year’s resolution to fill 2014 with music. So far, my husband and I have tickets to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, the Bombay Bicycle Club, and plan to go to Merle Fest in the spring. And I’m learning to play piano so we can fire up a family band!
What’s your biggest design-related pet peeve?
When companies don’t take a holistic view of their brand. Your brand sets a tone that should be carried through everything you do—print, web, social media, even the way you answer your business phone. Those are all little pieces of the same big brand picture. And for goodness sake, don’t disrespect that fancy new logo by horribly cropping it for your twitter profile icon!
What is the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
My 6 year old daughter Sophie says crazy things like “Mama, feel my forehead. Is it cold as a pickle or warm as the sun?” on a daily basis. That kid cracks me up.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb. That guy has an “inator” for everything!
Why are you involved with AIGA Raleigh?
I got involved with the chapter at a point when I knew zero people in the local creative community. That is not an exaggeration! At the time I was working on a virtual team and was feeling really disconnected, professionally, from Raleigh. On the way to New Kind for my first AIGA Community Meeting, Brittain Peck introduced himself and made me feel welcome before I even got to the front door. From there, I’ve met lots of amazing professionals who have become good friends. Now I feel connected to, and invested in, this area and the awesome creative community.
What led you to volunteer or join the board?
You know what they say about how you get out of it what you put in? Truth! The more I pitch in with the chapter, the greater the reward. I’ve met rock stars like brand expert Alina Wheeler (shout out to the Alina Wheeler Action Team!) and had an inside peek into local business by helping coordinate the Raleigh Studio Tour. Last year I joined the Community Board and am now focused on Member Experience–basically listening to what’s going on in the community and making sure that our programming and events are hitting the mark.
What have you done as a board member or volunteer that you are most proud of?
I was super honored to be recognized by the chapter as a Community Catalyst. That recognition has fueled me to keep at it! Next up is an Adobe Workshop focusing on Responsive Design.
What goals do you have for the future of the chapter?
Keep bringing local creative minds together to share inspiration, build skills, try new things, and expand networks. Oh, and celebrate and/or commiserate over a beer every once in a while!
What have you seen other chapters do that was really cool?
I’d love to see the chapter host a Pixels of Fury tournament or a CreateAthon 24-hour creative marathon for good. Amazing things can come from a pressure cooker!
