2017 - 2020
At the very dawn of 2017, I was asked if I was interested in creating cartoons for The Highlander.
This began a several-year journey by the end of which I had gone from admiring the mastery of my seniors' skills to leading and full-on teaching classes on technology, art, and software to a staff of 70+ individuals.
The Highlander Newsmagazine
Graphic Design
This Dec 2019 issue’s in-depth report, “A Scorched Earth,” reflects the year's spike in forest fires, and offers a look into the effects of climate change nationally and in McLean, VA.
Due to the COVID shut downs this remotely produced issue and the last one that I worked on. I illustrated the cover art for this issue.
My role across these two .pdf issues was as Design/Website Editor-in-Chief
Click to enter full view and read some information about the above designs
Mentorship and Feedback
A few staff members approached me for a feedback session with a layout they’d been working on. A solid concept, but they were using a custom quote template I'd built and designed for in-text quotations, which clashed with their design layout. As well, some of the spacing felt a bit tight.
I listened to their thoughts and reworked the layout, refining the overall spacing for clarity and rhythm. The final design kept their intent intact with some additional room to breathe. Some small shifts make the whole piece feel more cohesive and confident.
Cartooning and Editorial Illustrations
It was important to me to make sure that any cartoons, images, and graphics on an article were actually supporting the article's main arguments, and weren't just images of a character stating "I like [thing]".
When receiving a request for a cartoon for an article, my first question was always "What is/are your argument(s)?". Rather than creating or inserting my own thoughts, arguments, or opinions, my goal was to help the authors highlight their own.
My private site gallery has over 60 illustrations and cartoons that were published alongside author writings.
WMHS News (Broadcast)
In the era before I attended SCAD and gained experience in technical productions and video editing....
As I worked on the monthly newsmagazine production staff, I also supported our daily news broadcasting team, collaborating to produce coverage of events and prominent individuals around McLean High School.
A one-minute documentary on a prominent MHS electronics and computer expert, Jacob Hotaling. Known for bringing and using his own mechanical keyboard at school, as well as providing support to those around him with technology needs.
Coverage of the McLean 2019 convocation. Graduating students share their thoughts and feelings surrounding the event. Due to his charisma and efforts in connecting to students, SRO Davis was voted to give a speech to the graduating class.
The thoughts of students working on a production of the play You Can't Take it With You, highlighting the appreciation for, and value of, the behind-the-scenes staff needed to bring the play together.
A one-minute documentary featuring Jake Mitchell, a gifted student known for his exceptional dry humor and advanced skills in IT.
A report on the MHS Art College fair, featuring advice from representatives to aspiring art students, Coverage produced with myself and Ashley Park.
Produced just in time to air for the first day of school, this report covers a creative method one teacher used to organize his science classroom and get to know his students.