A few items for your enjoyment …
Becoming a self-taught graphic artist has been an incredible journey of creativity, persistence, and continuous learning. It all started with a fascination for visual arts and design, which gradually evolved into a passion for creating compelling graphics. With no formal training, I purchased a Macintosh SE computer in 1986, converted my garage into a design studio, and began the expedition.
Mastering basic design software, such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, was a considerable challenge. Countless hours were spent experimenting with different fonts, techniques, and styles. I read everything I could get my hands on to understand the principles of good design.
Over time, I built a portfolio by taking on small projects for friends, local businesses, and online clients. Each project provided valuable experience and honed my skills further. I learned to navigate client requirements, meet deadlines, and deliver high-quality work consistently.
As my confidence grew, so did my projects’ complexity and scope. I began exploring different design aspects, from branding and marketing materials to web and user interface design. This versatility broadened my expertise and opened up new opportunities.
Today, I am proud to call myself a self-taught graphic artist. My journey has taught me the value of perseverance, the importance of continuous learning, and the joy of creating visually captivating work. Every design is a testament to my dedication and passion for the art.
This portfolio was from my self-employed days:
Let’s rewind the tape to earlier in the adventure … in 1974, I went to work in advertising for a small newspaper in Oak Ridge Tennessee, The Oak Ridger — calling on advertisers in the morning and pasting up their ads in the art department in the afternoon. Made good friends with the man who ran the camera department and he taught me everything he knew about the graphics and printing business.
Wikipedia: Paste up
Paste up is a method of creating or laying out publication pages that predates the use of the now-standard computerized page design desktop publishing programs. Completed, or camera-ready, pages are known as mechanicals or mechanical art. In the offset lithography process, the mechanicals would be photographed with a stat camera to create a same-size film negative for each printing plate required.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee: The Secret City
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the city of Oak Ridge didn’t even exist. In an effort to end the war, the U.S. government purchased rural farmland in 1942 and rapidly built the city of Oak Ridge, which would play a pivotal role in the Manhattan Project. Just two and a half years later, the Secret City skyrocketed to a population of 75,000, making it the fifth-largest city in Tennessee at the time.
It wasn’t long after that some acquaintances from Atlanta introduced me to a friend in their church during one of our visits who just happened to be looking for someone to come and join his company as a general manager. My graphics background became the perfect fit and we moved to Atlanta early in 1975 I stayed with a company called Graphics Atlanta for the next 13 years learning color lithography, typesetting, and printing.
Late in 1988, I joined another company that was specializing in electronic publishing. I am convinced that God allowed Desktop Publishing to be discovered just so I could have some of the most wonderful things in the world to play with. When I was a kid, we didn’t have a lot of toys — in fact, I got my entertainment from taking stuff like old TVs apart to see what made them work. My dad would bring home real interesting stuff like magnetos that you cranked in those old telephones to get the operator (that thing could create a real jolt of electricity).
It was around the middle of 1990 that a fellow church member, Russell Reach, (Bob Jones University/Harvard grad) approached me with an idea that his uncle had suggested would make a great published product. Well, I helped him start a company called Interstate America.
Ultimately, we produced 3 travel-related products for Interstate America: The American Trucker Exit Guide, The Exit Authority, and a TruckStop directory.
As the Vice President of Interstate America, I spearheaded project management, creative direction, and production for all marketing materials across print, internet, and wireless telephone platforms. Our data was the first of its kind to appear on early “Smartphones.”
The Exit Guides were a comprehensive directory of every travel-related business along the U.S. interstate system. It listed every Truckstop, Gas Station, Motel, Restaurant, RV Service, ATM, Emergency Medical Facility, Auto & Diesel Engine Repair Shop, National & State Parks, Tourist Sites & Attractions, Pharmacies, Supermarkets, Outlet Malls, Wal-Marts, K-Marts, Rest Areas, Post Offices, Coin Laundries, Propane Filling Stations, Optical Centers, Veterinary Offices, State Patrol Posts, Coin & Full Serve Car Washes and Shopping Malls at EVERY exit in the nation. Data was collected in person by folks hired during the summers to drive the interstates, record observed exit features on audio voice recorders, and send micro cassettes which were then entered into a computer database. The resulting files were exported to PageMaker and combined with map segments which I created in Adobe Illustrator. The electronic files were recorded on disks and sent to the printing company for digital direct-to-plate imaging and printing.
Here is the Trucker’s version of the Exit Guide:
Our product was also mentioned in the National Transportation Safety Board’s “Highway Special Investigation Report:”
The Exit Guide business was ultimately sold to a Japanese mapping company called Zenrin in 1999. They specialized in the American market in the late 1990s around in-vehicle navigation systems (they thought there might be a good fit for our interstate data). For unknown reasons, they decided to close our company in 2001. I was self-employed for a number of years as a freelance graphic designer but decided to do something completely different … I applied and was accepted by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Spent some time in the Detention Center but decided it wasn’t really for me and went back into the private sector as a graphic designer for the local newspaper, The Gwinnett Daily Post.
Here is a sample of the design for the Pilot Travel Center Directory:
My only Book Cover: