How The English Major Turned Novice Graphic Designer
I won’t be a poser. I’m a creative writer through and through…but I will admit that my constant response of, “I don’t know, but I can play around and figure it out!” has lead me *lightly* into the graphic design world.
When you’re working for a non-profit or a startup (and I’ve done both), they need things done. Fast. You’ve got to stay relevant and creative, and it doesn’t matter how you get there. This has served me well in my young career, because it has given me design experience I without needing a formal qualification, and a new passion for playing around with logos, posters, and more!
Below is a collection of work I’ve done for the Iowa Writers’ House, the Campus Activities Board at the University of Iowa, and much more. With many thanks to Canva and the wonderful world of YouTube, I’m still learning. All of this is to simply say, there’s more to this English major than papers on 17th century literature and a notebook of ideas! Enjoy! — E
Testimonial Series: In an effort to drum up excitement about the Writers’ House weekend-long workshops, we took feedback from previous events and fashioned it into a Facebook marketing campaign. Here’s a few of my favorites.Newsletter Magic: One of the largest parts of my job with the Iowa Writers’ House was creating headings and graphics for our newsletters. This is a sample of material we used to send out information on our seasonal workshops, podcast promotions, and more.In 2016 I served as the Novelty Director for the Campus Activities Board. I was responsible for small biweekly “Make and Take” events, and I decided that I wanted to give these events an extra kick by designing promotional materials for social media. It was a ton of fun, and significantly improved the attendance at my events!(Wo)man with a plan: When I served as the 2017 President of the Campus Activities Board, the fifteen-person executive board I was in charge of requested a new way to keep their lives organized. So with a tight budget, I got creative. It was only a semester-long planner, and here is the cover for each month included!Emma In Print: And of course, the logo that though simple, took me many hours to design (mostly because I’m indecisive). This logo inspired the rest of my Medium page, and served as a fun extra way for me to infuse the page with creativity!
Want to know more? Have a graphic design tip to share? Add me on LinkedIn or contact me at emma.m.geary@gmail.com!
Emma Geary 
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