VOX GLOBal
In January 2020, I began my role as a Design Fellow with VOX Global, a bipartisan strategic communications firm located in Washington, D.C. Going into this position, I wasn’t sure what challenges I would be facing as a graphic designer. However, once assimilated in my work environment, I found myself in the depths of an exciting and fast-paced work environment, constantly collaborating with experts to meet the needs of clients in a vast range of industries. Not even a week in, I was being pushed out of my comfort zone, creating designed content to be viewed by people all over the country, working with clients I never thought I’d have the opportunity to work with at this point in my career and much, much more.
Almost a year later, it’s strange to think about what kind of designer I was before starting this position. I was fresh out of college with little knowledge of what it meant to be a graphic designer in an agency setting. I still laugh about those days now, it feels like a lifetime ago (especially because of quarantine). Now, I approach graphic design with a completely different mindset. Thanks to VOX Global, I’ve had the opportunity to see how major projects evolve from simple concepts into comprehensive, multi-layer campaigns. Being fully integrated in the design process at VOX has given me the knowledge, experience and confidence to implement these skills in my work, as well as deal with any issues I may face along the way. Since I started working at VOX, I’ve had the opportunity to design for major brands such as Walmart, AT&T, Yale, Nissan, Burlington, Bank of America, The Nature Conservancy and more. The types of projects I’ve worked on include: ESG reports, CSR reports, branding and logo design, social media content, web design, billboards, newsletters, presentations, one pagers and infographics, display ads, case studies and new business proposals.
While working with these major companies was an exciting prospect, it was a challenge to maintain the standard of excellence that clients have come to expect from VOX. Tasked with the responsibility of providing high-quality design in a timely manner for these clients, I was faced with challenges I hadn’t yet experienced as a designer. Extreme timelines, intricate design requests and juggling multiple projects at once was a weekly routine throughout the course of the fellowship. While the process wasn’t easy, being able to utilize my resources and team helped me along the way. Learning from my experiences and coworkers ended up being an invaluable aspect of this fellowship, and helped me grow as a designer and a professional.
If you asked me a year ago what I thought I would have accomplished by the end of 2020, I would’ve never listed being a designer on Walmart’s 2020 ESG report or working with AT&T on a weekly basis. Frankly, nothing about 2020 has gone to plan for most of us, yet this spontaneity has shaped me both personally and professionally in ways I could have never anticipated. Throwing myself into the fast lane was one of the best things I could’ve done for myself in 2020, and I have VOX to thank for paving the way for my growth.