What it takes: Graphic designer says "Art is all around us"

Over the weekend I was enjoying some Hershey's Kisses and noticed something very interesting. In the space between the K and the I, there was a kiss shape. When I showed my mom, she was surprised to see it and even more surprised that I noticed such a tiny detail.

Graphic artists were the ones responsible for that creative design. It turns out, I actually know a graphic designer and decided to learn what it takes to work in that field.

Ashley Schuster has worked at the New Rockford Transcript for two years and is about to start a new adventure, so it was the perfect time to pay her a visit.

Ashley had special training in a two-year associate program in graphic design and communications from Bismarck State College. She learned a lot about design software, especially Adobe Creative Suite which includes InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. She uses all of these almost everyday.

She says other skills that make a good graphic designer include creativity and math skills, because she is always working with measurements.

Designers don't need to be able to draw well, but Ashley finds it a bonus because she can be creative with her own graphics and icons, rather than relying on stock images.

Maybe most important is being open to hearing others' ideas. When it comes to what she likes best about being a graphic designer, Ashley says, "I like how I can bring people's idea together for them. I feel like I'm giving them something special."

Of all the projects Ashley has worked on, she says the ones she likes best are the ones where she has creative freedom.

As Ashley looks toward the future, in a new and exciting place like Portland, Ore., she will be applying for other jobs in graphic design. But she also wonders if there aren't other kinds of jobs out there waiting for her. She says she might enjoy working as a park ranger or working in a greenhouse. But either way, she is sure that designing will always be with her.