My Skill Set
Adobe InDesign 95% Proficiency
Adobe Illustrator 95% Proficiency
Adobe Rush 80% Proficiency
Adobe Photoshop 80% Proficiency
Typography 95% Proficiency
Ideation 100% Proficiency
Branding 100% Proficiency
Print 100% Proficiency
Design Principles 100% Proficiency
Research Skills 100% Proficiency
Research Skills 100% Proficiency
Hi, I’m Megan McGuire.
I originally went to college to be a librarian. I earned my MLS and worked in both the school and public library settings. My most recent library position, at Monona Public Library, involved a lot of promotion and marketing of library events. I discovered I loved this kind of work but was frustrated by my limitations.
Specifically, I wanted to work on my training in good design and the tools to create it. I enrolled in the Graphic Design and Illustration program at Madison Area Technical College and received an Associates degree in December of 2016. Lucky enough to secure a job before graduation, I started working in the Branding Department of ERDMAN Company the first week of January in 2017.
Unfortunately, the company disbanded its Branding department 9 months later and I was once again on the hunt for a new position. While waiting for a position that is a good fit for my personality and skill set, I have started freelancing. I have a couple of core clients and pick up projects primarily on a word of mouth basis.
MY PHILOSOPHY
Graphic design is about solving communication problems – simply and elegantly.
I adhere to the belief that form should follow function and that designing in such a way will make an inherently beautiful product.
Mike Markkula, the second CEO of Apple, believed that you must be empathetic with your end user and create subtle touches that can only be appreciated by interacting with the design. He also stated that Apple aimed to “eliminate all unimportant opportunities.” In my mind a website or print piece that is hard to navigate and find needed information on, no matter how interactive or flashy, is ugly. Giving people too much is just as bad as not giving them enough. All features of a design should have purpose.