Mrs. Carlson

Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Pratt Institute

 

How did you get started in your career?
I am a graduate of Pratt Institute in New York and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1998. I have worked as a graphic designer for over 17 years and studied marketing and advertising as well. I have enjoyed making design my life and I love teaching!

What do you want your students to take away from being in your class?
When I started teaching at Holy Trinity, I not only wanted to teach the basics of graphic design but I also wanted the students to leave my class knowing every aspect of working in the field as a graphic designer. I run my classroom as a graphic design business and I have my students work on projects that promote events that are happening at Holy Trinity (i.e. school plays, concerts, prom, sports T-shirts, etc.).


Describe a typical graphics project in your class:
A sample project for Homecoming/Spirit Week:

My Graphic 1 students designed the homecoming dance tickets and posters. This was a great project to learn how to design a theme and have a chance to have your design selected.

My Graphic 2 students were given spirit week. This project taught them how to communicate with a client meet deadlines and work as a team. They were broken into seven Design teams; each team had a creative director, copywriter and two graphic designers. The first objective of the team was to schedule a meeting with their clients (the teachers planning Homecoming) to figure out their needs for Spirit Week (theme for each day, how many posters, deadlines and budget.)

Every team came up with a design plan and executed it. I am proud of the final products and happy to see their designs on display around campus. This project gave the students the opportunity to work with a client, work together with other team members, and meet deadlines just as they would in a graphic design firm.

What is one of your goals as a teacher?
My goal as a teacher is for everyone to find something inspiring, interesting and fun while taking my class.

What are your favorite activities outside of the classroom?
I love spending time with my husband and two boys when I am not at school. My two boys play baseball and I enjoy watching them play every weekend. I love to travel, every winter we go to New Mexico and go skiing. I like to do something educational when we are there. One winter we visited the Taos Pueblo and it was amazing.