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You may have been curious about what goes behind the design curtain at LKCS. In this blog, I’ll answer a few questions about what it’s like to be a graphic designer and at the same time, hopefully satisfy your curiosity.

Q: Why did you become a designer?

A: I decided to go into the design field because I love creating things and solving problems. These are both areas you must explore in the design field, especially when designing websites.

Q: What software do you use?

A: We use the Adobe Suite. So the main programs I use are Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Dreamweaver. For those who are unaware of what these programs are used for, Photoshop is mainly for photo editing, but we also use it for website mock-ups, and many other things. If you want to create a vector or logo design, you will want to use the next program, Illustrator. For print designs, or multi-page layouts, InDesign is the go to program. Lastly, if you are working on coding a website, Dreamweaver is what you’ll need.

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: I mentioned before that I love to solve problems. The most exciting part of my job is trying to find interesting new ways to solve old problems. For example, a large majority of our clients are in the financial industry. Since that is the case, a lot of the information being presented is similar. I really enjoy finding new ways to display that information that is both eye grabbing and practically useful for the viewer.

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve as a designer?

A: When a request is made to make a design “pop”, make it “stand out more”, “spruce it up”…etc. I can of course come up with a new design or try something different, but to be completely transparent, these phrases are not that helpful in the design process. A better approach would be to point out specific information you want to be more prominent or mention something in the design that isn’t working for you. With this information, it increases the probability that I’ll be able to create something that aligns with the goal you have in mind.

Q: What is it you hope to see in the future of your profession?

A: The life of a designer is both a challenging and rewarding one. My hope for the future is that creativity will continue to be valued, and that I will continue to have the opportunity to use that creativity to solve design problems for clients in new and exciting ways!