Jordan is a visual designer with experience in multimedia, marketing, print, and website design within corporate, startup, agency, and freelance environments. She is a motivated, organized, and flexible professional with a love of design and simplicity. Jordan has worked to support marketing and sales enablement efforts for large companies in the Atlanta tech startup scene for the past 3+ years and has also worked with freelance and/or other in-house clients for 10 years. Her overall goal is to create unique, goal-driven visual solutions while successfully collaborating with a wide variety of clients, industries, and audiences to ultimately build strong, long-term working relationships and incredible solutions.
Please share your career story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Today, I am proud to be a local Atlanta-area graphic designer and freelancer and a 2016 BFA graduate of The Art Institute of Atlanta. Both freelance and in-house experience in multimedia, marketing and print + design combined, I’ve been lucky to be working as a designer for almost ten years now.
I’m from the college football-fueled town of Auburn, Alabama – “War Eagle!” – and lived there for my first 18 years. Knowing my heart wasn’t set on staying in there for college, I did a bit of soul searching during my senior year of high school when I realized that I actually had no idea what I wanted to get out of town to study. I experimented with Adobe software, photography/lighting and several handheld mediums off the screen (paint, pens, cut paper, etc.) and eventually made the decision to switch from pursuing English in college to a major in Graphic Design at The Art Institute of Atlanta.
I made the move to Atlanta at 17 and spent a wonderful but challenging time at Ai Atlanta with some of the best department instructors and colleagues I could’ve asked for. My mind was opened to the ENTIRE world of design: typography, layout, research, creative briefs, client presentations, other software, etc. Way more than I knew existed.
Then came the time for me to focus on kicking off my career – freelance work slowed down and the job hunt kicked up. Following back up to the beginning of this and where I am today, I have worked full-time in the Atlanta area for 4+ years within multiple design and marketing environments. I look forward to growing my career in every way possible, and Atlanta is my starting point for all of that!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
During college, I took up several hours of freelance work a week and got familiar with several awesome, and several not so awesome, clients. These efforts led to connections, resume builders and even some other work opportunities that I am so proud and so thankful for today. There were literal blood, sweat, and tears through the last portfolio quarters, and then I completed my degree and a successful final Portfolio Show in March 2016.
Other struggles have included honing client communication skills, learning the overall value and goals of design projects, and working through differing feedback processes.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I believe “success” as it pertains to my creative work means being able to see my work physically within its digital or print medium (a live website, a billboard, etc.) as well as creating positive and collaborative relationships along the way.