Alumni Spotlight:

What I Do Now: I am the senior graphic designer at women’s fashion and lifestyle publications Who What Wear and Marie Claire. I have been on the creative team for a little over 2 years and spend my time working on editorial layouts for our celebrity cover stories, event branding, graphics for our website, social media and video. I recently rebranded the Who What Wear podcast and have also worked with some exciting brands in the fashion industry. My favorite part of my work is being on photoshoot sets with my team, which are always very creative and collaborative experiences.

Hartwick’s Impact on Career: I was awarded a Baker-Simpson scholarship during the summer after my junior year at Hartwick, where I worked at BlackBird, a start-up company in San Francisco, California. This opportunity was a great experience to learn more about graphic design in the industry, work with a team and expand my skill set. Throughout my time at Hartwick, I had four different internships, which helped me learn so much about graphic design and marketing, ranging from learning software, working on real-life projects and working in fast-paced environments. I also studied abroad during my junior year in Edinburgh, Scotland, and worked as an intern for a marketing start-up called Pogo Studio, which helped hone my skills and taught me more about what I enjoyed in the industry. After my experience in Scotland, I took every opportunity to study abroad and applied for a Duffy scholarship in my senior year. I was able to spend my J Term semester in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where I spent my time shadowing and interviewing professionals at marketing and design companies. Many of these companies marketed for luxury fashion brands, which helped me realize that was the side of the industry I wanted to be a part of. There are so many niches one can pursue in the creative field and fashion excited me the most. Therefore, I centered my senior art show around fashion and created an apparel line, which taught me even more about the industry and helped me decide what I wanted to pursue post-graduation.

My Favorite Aspect of My Career: My favorite aspect of my career is being able to work on photoshoot sets, as it is one of the more creative and collaborative aspects of my job. Most of my design work is done at home, so working in the fast-paced setting of photoshoots with such talented creatives is really exciting. It takes me back to my days at Hartwick, where I worked alongside so many creative people in the Art Department every day. These more team-oriented opportunities excite me most, especially in this post-COVID world where most of my work is done virtually. I love seeing these projects come to life from concept to finished product.

The Secret to Landing a Job in your Field? Having a strong portfolio of work that speaks to your career goals is really important. During my Freshman year at Hartwick, Professor Joe Von Stengel had us create online portfolio websites. This was always something I enjoyed—updating and sharing with friends and family. Once I decided I wanted to work in fashion, I would give myself “fake” projects to work on to fill my portfolio with pieces that were relevant to the industry. I believe having a strong personal website is a great resource to showcase your work, design abilities and what you’re passionate about.

Advice for Current Students: It is okay not to know exactly what you want to do with your career. I was accepted into Hartwick as a nursing major, but I was not confident that is what I wanted to do with my future. Before I even started my first semester, I switched to an undeclared major and found it very helpful to try new things. It is also important to look into internship opportunities and study abroad options to learn as much as you can about different fields. I was able to learn what I liked and what I knew I didn’t want to do, which was so valuable to figure out while I was still in school. Use your time at Hartwick to figure out what you are passionate about and commit to learning as much as possible, especially outside the classroom. It takes hard work and determination, but by committing to your passion and following what excites you, you can land the career you’ve dreamed of.

Spotlight by Stella Giustino ’25