Aubree Eckhardt
Graphic Design Emphasis
Graphic Design Emphasis
Having become more engaged in WSU’s Department of Visual Art and Design, I have grown into a driven illustrator and designer. In 2018, I entered the BFA program with a graphic design emphasis, hoping to build upon my strengths and bolster my weaknesses. Since declaring my major, I have pursued myriad opportunities, determined to learn and experience as much as possible in my remaining two years at Weber State. I became a graphic designer for The Signpost in 2018, and in 2019, I was selected to assume the role of Graphic and Design Editor, a role in which I now direct a team of three designers, producing two publications per week. I was also selected as an intern—and subsequently hired as an artist’s assistant—for artist-in-residence Jane Kim to assist in her completion of the Butterfly Migration mural in the DOVAD atrium. In 2018, I applied for the biennial Student Art Exhibit but was rejected; however, this year, with two more years of experience under my belt, determined to try again, I was selected to participate in the 2020 exhibit. I have engaged in leadership roles that I never would have thought myself capable of fulfilling two years ago, and as a result, my confidence has grown. I have learned that I need thick skin to survive in the industry, and in order to do that, I have had to accept rejections graciously and incorporate the criticism of my peers and mentors into my process. I am learning not to overthink my designs and refrain from becoming lost in the narrative. In the two years I have been involved in the program, I have developed my conceptual designs, my graphic design layouts, and most of all my illustration style.
My ultimate goal is to become a professional illustrator, who incorporates good graphic design elements, as well. I anticipate that, with the skills I am honing in the classes I am taking and the constructive criticism of my peers and faculty members, I will graduate from Weber State University in 2021 with a strong, successful portfolio. I seek knowledge everywhere I go. If I get knocked down, it only makes me get back up and push harder to show that I can find success in the industry. I love to learn, and I am eager to prove that I can surmount any obstacle put in my path. As I head into my final few semesters, I am committed to ending my time here at Weber on a high note, not only as a graphic designer and illustrator but as a role model to my peers.
