Joanna (Green) Zuidema ’12 Graphic Designer
Internet or newspaper ads don’t get there by chance. They may be the work of St. Cloud State graduate Joanna (Green) Zuidema ’12.
Zuidema graduated in December 2012 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in studio art and an emphasis in graphic design. Being creative and practical, she aspired for a creativity-centered career that would also pay the bills. In other words, she wanted to be a graphic designer.
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She landed a graphic design internship with Minneapolis business-to-business ad agency Schermer, which later became a full-time job.
“We work with a whole host of big brands, helping them to market to their partner businesses,” Zuidema said.
She knew graphic design was the right choice as soon as she entered the program at St. Cloud State and got involved with the Student Graphic Design Association on campus. The art department faculty helped her reach out to the design community and make connections that lasted past graduation.
She gained real world experience as a student working for Copies Plus — St. Cloud State’s full-service copy center in the student union.
Zuidema describes graphic design as the perfect combination of art and communication.
“Graphic design touches nearly every aspect of a person’s daily life,” Zuidema adds. “The logo on your alarm clock, the label on your body wash, the interface on your smartphone, the menu of the restaurant where you get lunch, it’s all been designed.”
The most amazing part of Zuidema’s career is being able to have her work printed for everyone to see.
“I was lucky enough to go on a press check for a bunch of pieces I had designed,” Zuidema shares. “I walked into the press room (a warehouse filled with massive printers and huge rolls of paper) and saw 100,000 of something I had created being printed.”
