On Becoming a Graphic Designer for Advertising

With a bachelor’s degree in fine art, I came to New York to delve into the world of art. To help in the early days I worked in typography, a field I came to appreciate and study. As typography evolved to rely more and more on computers, the companies for which I worked expanded their services to a broader range of graphic arts functions, and I became knowledgeable about print production. When the typography industry was finally overtaken by “Desktop Publishing” I earned a certificate this new discipline and was able to combine my fine art sensibility with my extensive knowledge of typography and my understanding of prepress to become a well equipped graphic designer. Of all the fields in which a graphic designer may find work, Advertising has always interested me the most. At The School of Visual Arts I took a number of Advertising Concepts courses led by successful creatives from the big Madison Avenue agencies. My work in these courses was highly praised by the instructors. I’m a “Mad Woman” at heart.

I have worked as a graphic designer and in production capacities at The Blue Note Jazz Club and Restaurant, The Stock Market Photo Agency, Bookspan (the owner of all the major book clubs in the US), and most recently, Richner Communications, a publisher of community newspapers on Long Island. At Richner I worked closely with the advertising sales executives to help their clients craft advertisements that best met their needs. A number of the ads I created won design awards from the New York Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. When I had the opportunity to work on ads for a local assisted living community that needed a comprehensive approach for a campaign, I created the designs and wrote copy for a series of ads that was praised by the national corporation that owned the franchise. My ad designs always reflect refined use of typography, tasteful design, and strong concepts.

On a freelance basis, I have tutored students in InDesign, and have done designs for their organizations. I have compiled and illustrated a book of quotes of Mark Twain, and done many personal projects for my extended family. From time to time I still love to sketch.