Tyrel Reed supporting the Operation Victory #kubball shirts! Get yours today! http://kuathletics.cbscollegestore.com/store_contents.cfm?store_id=220&product_id=216011

On Saturday, Allen Fieldhouse will host the last game of one of the biggest rivalries in college sports. The Kansas Jayhawks will take on the Missouri Tigers. The last game will go down in history and I am fortunate to be able to take part in several ways. As a KU employee and graduate and as the designer of the Operation Victory t-shirt that over 8,000 people will be wearing that day. I have already seen several Jayhawks sporting the shirt in photos on twitter and facebook, as well as, around campus and Lawrence, Kansas.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!

I am constantly challenged at my current job, which is one of the many reasons why I love it. There are many times where a photo shoot just can’t happen because of practice, games out-of-town and the photographer’s schedule. The Kansas softball poster is a prime example. The players were shot and the coach had a vision, everything else was in my hands. I took the photographer’s guidance and the coach’s vision and created a piece that appealed to them and hopefully the masses. It was a long process with many hands in the pot, but I feel like the last piece lived up to everyone’s expectations, even my own.

I look forward to many more trials this spring, I feel like every new project is a learning experience. Here is to a productive spring at KU!

The first reason, to beat the winter weight gain and seasonal depression. It has been such a mild winter that I have been able to train outside.  New shoes and new gear also help. I now find that I look forward to running after work.

The second, a little motivation from Erin Brown, a.k.a. Fit Mama. It didn’t take a motivational speech by any means. She basically said that if I could run 3 miles, I could train for the half-marathon. Made sense to me, so here I am.

The third, time to think. Running for a long periods of time allows for more time to brainstorm my design projects and think about how I can improve at work. Sitting at a computer all day sometimes fries my brain. Getting away from that and being outdoors has proven to be a good way to break free of the “brain fart”.

I also have great support from family and friends and the fact that I have a Jamaican cruise in May doesn’t hurt either. I will be ready for the summer and hopefully still running, brainstorming and enjoying every minute of it.

In the past 10 years as a professional I have work with several non-profit organizations in Lawrence, Topeka and beyond. I have had a long-term relationship with Van Go Mobile Arts, Inc which helped pave my way to work with other organizations including Kansas Art Therapy Association, Willow Domestic Violence Center, CIS of Ottawa, CIS of Kansas, Douglas County Aids Project, Cornerstone of Topeka and Five Alive Teen Suicide Prevention Program. It has been with great please to serve all of these amazing organizations.

I look forward to building more relationships. If you know a non-profit that is looking for a designer, tell them about Jackie Berra. I’d be happy to meet with them to discuss their needs.

Read Jeff’s post, A New Teammate.

Not only is it my job to design the covers, but I often design a template for the inside pages so that the cover and inside have a common theme. Sometimes the overall look and feel is left up to me, other times the  Coach or Media Relations Director has a certain vision. Either way I enjoy the process very much. It’s my goal for next year to have a common theme for all the media guide covers under the Kansas Athletics umbrella.

Carolyn Davis tip off, Kansas vs. Kansas State. ©2012 Jackie Berra

From time to time I get the chance to take pictures at certain Kansas Athletics events, including Kansas basketball games. My most recent opportunity was last night at the KU vs KSU Women’s Basketball game. My task was to take photos and post them to @KUGameDay on Twitter. I am grateful to have such a cool job that allows me to sit court side and snap photos.

I will be doing this a lot more for the Women’s games and I look forward to every minute of it. Some of the pictures aren’t that great, trying to capture an action shot to tell a story. However, some of them turn out pretty darn cool and I am very proud of them. The photo posted here is one that I am extremely happy with how it came out. I hope to post more photos in the coming weeks and months.

This is a chart I found on Smashing Magazine’s website, that identifies the steps that should be taken in the logo design process. However, time isn’t always of the essence. The brief may just be a quick conversation, so it’s up to the designer to do the rest. That might be why I love designing logos so much, I get joy out of taking someone’s words and  turning them into something graphical.

As a visual communicator I am hired to do a specific job, I have received the proper training and have the tools to create logos. Just like a business owner has a tools to run a business. As Robert Goulet (played  by Will Ferrel) would say, “Hey, you wouldn’t hire a clown To fix a leak in the john. So why do you let these hooligans tear down the biz? Yeah.”

Paul Rand, one of the world’s greatest designers states that “a logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon, a street sign. A logo does not sell (directly), it identifies. A logo is rarely a description of a business. A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around. A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it represents is more important than what it looks like. The subject matter of a logo can be almost anything.”

I have added several logos to my portfolio, some are old and some are new! Check them out here!

I look forward to the design world of 2012 and what it will bring. As far as my world of 2012 design, I hope to make it bigger and better than the last. Stretching my abilities and spending more time making things AWESOME.

If you are thinking about making something AWESOME in your life, contact me! I would love to help you with a new website, logo or a special invitation or announcement!

And make sure to mark your calendars for The Red Show Walk on May 5th (if you buy the calendar, it’s already on there for you).

Where to purchase the 2012 Red Shoe Calendar:
Esquina
The Oread
The Eldridge
Lawrence Memorial Hospital Gift Shop
Langston Hughes
Hair Experts
Lawrence Arts Center
Landmark Bank
Prairie Patches
The Etc. Shop
Lawrence Journal World
Yarn Barn
Central National Bank
Garry Gribbles
Stich-On Needlework
Ortho Kansas
The Corner Store (Ottawa)

The Willow Domestic Violence Center provides safe-shelter, peer counseling, advocacy and other services to survivors of domestic violence in Douglas, Franklin, and Jefferson counties.