My Design Story

by Heath Vester, AIGA Mobile Promotions Director

I’ve got to be honest, when I started school eight years ago, graphic design wasn’t really the first thing that came to mind when choosing my major. I jumped around a little exploring my options, going from history to theology to art to sociology, trying to find where I fit in and what would be the best place for me to learn about myself and that would help sharpen the skills God gave me.

By the end of my Freshman year, my love for the arts and design won out over the rest of my interests. I have always been fascinated with design on all levels, but Graphic Design is special. For me, it’s all about communicating in the most effective way possible. The idea of created work that communicates ideas and opinions in a way that was also beautiful was such a cool idea to me. Graphic Design brings the beauty of art together with the function and practicality of Marketing. Creating work that we interact with on a daily basis and affects every aspect of our life was what sold me on Graphic Design.

When I started at the University of Mobile, the design department was undergoing redevelopment. They had just brought on a new professor who rewrote the curriculum and began restructuring the classes. So I had the privilege of seeing the department grow into what it is today.

During that time I learned a lot about how design works, and how to use the tools to transcribe my ideas into something that the user can understand. I was exposed to different types of design from logo and branding design to Web and UI/UX design. I got to explore a little bit of everything until I learned where I fit in the vast, and sometimes intimidating world of design.

I am now the Creative Director at the University of Mobile and run my own freelance business. While I’ve been out of school for a while now, my desire to keep learning about design continues to grow. I’m proud to be a designer and my love for the job has never been stronger.