Cody Thomas
Age: 21
Year: Junior
Major: Visual Communications Design
Minor: Spanish
Hometown: Noblesville, IN
Activities:
- Ad Designer at The Exponent
- Student Concert Committee
- American Institute of Graphic Arts, Purdue Chapter
HCP: What made you interested in graphic design?
Cody: I’ve always just found design in general to be very inspiring and it really excites me. I enjoy how various forms of design (like fashion, photography, film, etc.) can really interact with each other and are well connected. I chose to go into graphic design because there are many career paths you can take within that area, but I am definitely still inspired by other areas of design as well.
HCP: How did you become an ad designer at the Exponent?
Cody: Following my internship in London over the summer, I wanted to continue to build my resume by adding another internship that would fit well within the school year. I applied to the position and luckily got it. Working at The Exponent is another opportunity for me to experience a possible career path I could choose to go into, if I wanted to go into advertisement design.
HCP: What are some of the challenges you face when designing ads for The Exponent?
Cody: Because The Exponent is a daily newspaper we have to work in a fast-paced environment to create many ads each day. In addition, because we are designing so many ads at such a fast pace, it’s difficult to be creative and different with each ad, thinking outside the box to not make every ad look the same. Lastly, it’s sometimes difficult to balance being creative and making a visually appealing ad while also adding all of the elements that the client wants to see in the ad.
HCP: You interned this summer for More2Screen in London. Tell us about your experience!
Cody: More2Screen is the UK’s leading distributor of “alternative content” events to theaters. So basically, they distribute the recordings of opera, ballet, concerts, and special event films to theaters. While interning there, I worked closely with the Head of Marketing as well as the Production and Administrative Executive. Every day I was doing something different – anything from every day office tasks to actual design work including framing posters, assisting in the layout of company brochures, editing pictures for the company website, and editing trailers for both the company website and the company’s YouTube page.
HCP: What sort of things did the internship teach you about your future in graphic design?
Cody: My internship taught me many things. First, I learned the importance of the way that different departments of the same company work closely together to achieve the same goal. Even though I would be working in the marketing department, I still had to communicate well with the Administrative Executive to make sure we were on the same page. In addition, I realized that I definitely want to take the career path of graphic design in the entertainment industry. I really love the way that the two work together. They’re both something I’m fascinated by, and I definitely can see myself doing something in that field in the future.
HCP: Where do you see yourself after graduation?
Cody: This coming summer, I plan on finding an internship within the United States that could possibly turn into a job offer following graduation. I can see myself working in a bigger city at a magazine publishing company or an entertainment corporation. I don’t know exactly what direction I want to go, but it will either be in the direction of working for a magazine or working in film/television.
HCP: What advice do you have for underclassmen?
Cody: I would tell underclassmen to not think that whatever they want to do or be is unimportant or too small. Anything they want to do is possible, if they’re willing to put the in the time and effort to get themselves to where they want to be. I would say that independence is a good quality to have. But the most important advice I would give is that being yourself is the only way you’re going to get to where you want to be in life.