Graphic design student balances the art, science of advertising
Advertising is so ubiquitous in modern life it almost seems to come out of the cracks — but Katie Rae sees the art in each and every piece.
Graphic design is a major component in advertising, and that’s exactly how the Bay City senior got involved in the trade.
“I was always really interested in advertising,” Rae said. “As a kid, I always appreciated interesting ways that companies would project themselves.”
Rae has dabbled in many different types of graphic design, but said she prefers to work on booklets because they involve both layout design and typography studies.
As with many other professions at the moment, graphic design is switching over to digital. Rae said she is still getting used to working with digital graphic designing.
“Just recently, I’ve discovered digital graphics like web design and motion graphics to which I also find new and challenging,” Rae said. “I’m trying to incorporate my ideas I’ve used in print works into my digital works.”
Rae’s peers have taken notice to the talent she has for working in all aspects of graphic design.
“I worked with Katie in Design Bureau last semester,” Livonia senior Chris Roy said. “We designed promotional materials for the Department of Art and Design. Our designs were ultimately chosen to be produced, something I’m very proud of. Katie was a huge part of that success.”
The third member of Rae and Roy’s team last semester was Lambertville senior Jackie Blaida.
“I love Rae’s design,” Blaida said. “She seems to come at things from a variety of different angles. She takes boring, overused, and over-rated works, and turns them into something new.”
Rae said she draws much of her inspiration from graphic design websites as well as from artists such as Stefan Sagmeister, Paul Rand, and most recently, Simon Page.
She said just searching around the produces so many ideas she must write them down “or my brain will explode.”
“I came into this field wanting to advertise,” Rae said. “It’s fun to make a company look so appealing that people will trip over themselves for a certain product.”
Roy was very appreciative of Katie’s talent to balance business and art when he worked with her last semester.
“(Katie Rae) is a very talented, capable, and hardworking designer,” Roy said.
