Donna Marie King has been recognized with the American In-House Design award by Graphic Design USA for the second consecutive year. King, who serves as graphic designer/ communications coordinator for the YMCA of Pawtucket, received the award for her layout of the nonprofit’s 2010 annual report. She has been a graphic designer for more than 25 years since graduating from Rhode Island College with a bachelor’s in art studio with a concentration in graphic design.
PBN: Since graduating from Rhode Island College with your bachelor’s degree, you have continued to pursue educational opportunities. Why is it important to you to continue to learn?
KING: Every day I try to make it a point to learn something new. I am currently working on my second certificate. … Taking classes at RISD in the Web Development Program, I like the challenge of their complexity. I am learning how to take graphics to a whole new level by incorporating animation and programming code to provide more interactivity and dynamic content in Web design.
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PBN: In what ways has the graphic-design field changed since you began in 1985?
KING: The world has changed at a very fast pace and so has the technology since the ’80s. I started out as a paste-up artist using large, noisy typesetting machines, border tapes, wax and stat machines to create camera-ready artwork. Markers were used for layouts and color separations were cut by hand to make a “mechanical.” Nothing was easy and graphic designers were very specialized. I didn’t like computer design at first, and it took some time to assimilate into the digital way of doing things. While watching my generation change from an industrial age into a digital society, I made up my mind to keep my skills sharp by continuing my education.
PBN: What tends to influence your work as a graphic designer?
KING: It seems that I was born to be a graphic designer. My mom was an art teacher at Riverside Junior High for 23 years and also did fine art projects. My father was a designer draftsman who taught me the technical side of art. Graphic design is right in-between them both.
Mom just passed away this past February on the actual day of the YMCA annual meeting. She would have been proud that I won this award because she was my mentor and I miss her very much. My co-workers at the YMCA of Pawtucket were very supportive through her sickness and I appreciate their kindness. •
