Gary Crawford • Designer

I choose to start my story at around age five, this is where I began to realize that I loved to draw. I was in love at that time with dinosaurs, comic book characters, and sports figures, namely football players. I loved to read and learn as well, and read many books on my favorite subjects. All these characteristics are still present to this day. The subject matter has changed but the love of art, reading and learning has not. Although I do still love sports and enjoy staying in shape through lifting weights and light cardio activities.

Upon graduation of high school I had aspirations of becoming an artist and was accepted at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. However, my father wanted me to learn about work and managing money before I headed off the college. He helped me to get a job where he worked which was a local paper mill. The plan was to work for a couple years and save up money for college. I was disappointed with this idea but went with the plan nonetheless. I hated working in the paper mill at first. I was working weekly swing shift and only had one weekend off per month. Meanwhile, my friends were going to school with measly little side jobs, and partying constantly. I was jealous but in time I buckled down and embraced my situation and began to actually enjoy my new career and began to climb the ladder of positions within the company.

At some point early into my career at the paper mill I met a girl and we became close and became pregnant! Soon a son was born into the world and I had big responsibilities. I had to stay working to support my little family and it turns out I stayed in the paper industry for the next 15 years. When my son turned 14 and was more self-sufficient I decided to finally go back to school.

I ended up deciding on The Art Institute of Cincinnati to get an Associate Degree in Graphic Design. The amazing art pieces hanging around the school are one of the main reasons I chose to go there. The works featured within the halls struck awe in me from the amazing talent it must have taken to make these pieces of art. One of the teachers turned out to be the great-grand son of the creator of Impressionism, Camille Pissarro, Frederic Pissaro, who keeps alive a long family tradition of fine arts with a modern twist.

Upon graduation I worked on management as much as I could to get myself a shot in the design department. A year later in 2008 I was granted that shot and have been a graphic designer there ever since. There I was trained by a very talented senior graphic designer and shown the ropes of folding carton packaging artwork. A few years later the company consolidated a lot of positions and one of those cuts was my mentor! This was very upsetting to me but I needed and wanted my job so I did not complain. This, in effect, promoted me to the senior and only graphic designer for the entire corporation. This lends me the opportunity to not only work on folding carton graphics, but every graphic need that they may have, including business cards, greeting cards, banners and signs, trade show and job fair materials, and so on.

In my spare time I began to teach myself web design through books, websites, tech forums and the like. I managed to get some freelance work in this area and found that I loved this type of work. Web design is awesome because the work is visible to the entire world. I had one hang-up in this arena that I really desired to know more about. The backend work turning the gears of complex websites I did not understand. Programming languages were something I really wanted to learn more about. I had mastered HTML and CSS but needed more. Hence, I have began working on a degree at Capella University for a BS in Information Technology with minors in Web and Mobile application development. I should graduate around late 2018 and am very much enjoying the schooling I have received to this point in the online Flexpath program offered at Capella.

That brings us current with the times for now, I will update as needed. You can read some posts I feel compelled to put up in my blog on this same website if you wish. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.