Raised in the South with an appreciation for the beauty in the day-to-day of life.
On the weekend: Enjoying Montevallo's peacefulness with a house full of rescue dogs. Attending (and sometimes coordinating) art shows to support local artists. Getting my hulu/netflix fix - crime & mystery TV junkie. And of course, working on some project. I cannot stop myself.
What inspires me to do what I do: Was obsessed with writing and creating as a child. Then, in high school I caught the journalism & design bug. My highlight of high school was being editor of the yearbook. In college, I began designing and editing newspapers. I have always been fascinated with communication. So, graphic design just became an extension of that. I love art, but my artists medium is a Mac with Adobe software to make my visions become reality.
View on life: Never stop learning and adapting to new challenges in life. Love what you do and do what you love. Support the causes you believe in!
Design philosophy:
Design should communicate. A design should begin with meeting the customer’s needs, then it should make you think or feel. The desire for aesthetics should never outweigh the need for communicating an idea. If the design does not reach the audience, the design has failed.
Marketing & advertising philosophy:
Listen, listen and listen some more before assuming your ideas are best. You must listen to what your constituents and stakeholders are saying about you. You need to either market yourself to your niche or if your goal is something else, you must market yourself in a revolutionary way to break free from your current reputation. You cannot be everything to everyone. You must pick a focus. Marketing and advertising need to be targeted – know your market! It may sound simple, but this fact is often overlooked.
Journalism advice:
Learn AP style and learn to edit your own work. News stories are published so rapidly that you must have excellent proofreading skills.
Learn how to follow a news story – ask the right questions. Interviewing skills are a must.
As you are mastering the art of reporting (that is the most fundamental and vital part), pick up some technology skills: video, social media, page design, photography, basic web design, etc.
Get as much practice as you can – work for the college newspaper! Freelance for the small town, local paper. Create a news blog (be careful that you understand the difference between a journalistic blog and just rambling your personal thoughts).
Make connections. You never know who can you with a story or help you find a job later. This is another reason to work for your college newspaper. Many news sources speak with journalism professors and newspaper advisers for recommendations when they are looking to hire.
My professional profile: www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyrb/