Issues > Annual Showcase Edition 2011 > Essentials > Testimonial > Testimonial

Testimonial

Thom Jay
Graphic Design Alumni
IADT- Tampa

Standing atop the modest mountain of my achievements, I’m now afforded the luxury of being able to look back at all of the hard work that brought me to this place and the decisions that shaped my journey. Beginnings can be born out of the most pristine marble or beaten from an ugly lump of ore; mine was the latter.

After working for the same company for nearly eleven years, I suddenly became another regrettable statistic of the economic recession. Those years of hard work provided me with extensive experience and skills for a job that was no longer needed in a dying industry. At age 45, I found myself at the doors of the International Academy of Design and Technology- Tampa with the intent of training for a new career in graphic design. My life was at a crossroads.

Though not my only option, IADT proved to be the best of my choices. During my course studies, I rediscovered my creative side and reinvigorated artistic talents that had lain dormant since my days in high school. I flourished, but I soon reached another crossroads—my internship. I already knew the path on which I would embark, and so, I chose ARTISTIK Magazine because of the prestige and notoriety already associated with it and the overwhelmingly positive reviews I had received from previous internees. Luckily for me, the editor accepted my decision and took me on.

This was a colossal endeavor for me, as it was the first time I would be expected to utilize all of my graphic design training at once for a nationally recognized publication. It wasn’t an educational project to demonstrate proficiency in a small collection of skills, but a career-level job where a high standard of production quality was already in place.

The quality of a fine steel blade is determined by both the subtle combination of iron and carbon, and the skill with which it’s worked over an anvil. From my very first day, I was thrust hip-deep into the churning waters of magazine design and layout. Projects were assigned, deadlines chiseled and the various sections of the publication doled out like raw steel from a furnace. The training I received during my internship built a strong foundation for the technical requirements of the layout process, but it was still incumbent upon me to provide the creativity and design for each article, feature and spread. I was encouraged, critiqued and guided through my labors to ensure that I generated my best work, no half measures were allowed. There are some roads that will lead you up mountains.

Now as a distinguished graduate of IADT, I look back on my time at ARTISTIK Magazine as being immensely influential of the designer I have become. I gained so much in terms of real-world experience, design aesthetic and commitment to an exquisite final product. My internship at ARTISTIK was no small feat, but I can’t imagine a greater opportunity to capitalize on all that I have been taught. Having the editor always available to mine for tricks and techniques made the experience all the better.

While working at ARTISTIK Magazine, I marveled that there was never a point where I was treated like a neophyte. My input was always sought whether for the layout of a page, the choice of images in a spread or the design approach to a feature. I stood on equal ground, helping to create the magazine by each pixel and page. To achieve this level of contribution outside the doors of ARTISTIK, I imagine I would have to toil for several years at a national publication, maybe more. I was asked not only to lay out the individual pages, but to create advertisements and an illustration for a featured article. As a result of my work during my internship, the editor has requested more illustration work from me for upcoming issues.

Now I can open my portfolio and proudly display my work in several issues of a nationally recognized magazine devoted to art and design. Published work, especially when it appears in a publication of such quality, will never fail to impress a prospective employer and will only serve to enhance your credibility as a professional graphic designer. From my humble beginnings and entrance into IADT, I emerged greater than the sum of my parts thanks in part to my time at ARTISTIK Magazine.

To see a sample of Thom Jay’s work, click on the image below: