Why not?

When I was in a corporate job, I so often felt like the biggest fish out of water. I remember a time when I was tasked to come up with taglines for a women’s training line. So, I set to work and my concepts resembled something like what you might see for a non-profit or greeting card, really soft and heartfelt. Something to the effect of, “work-out to make the most out of life”, “work-out to live, live to work-out”. Um, yeah, these phrases weren’t going to win any awards or get me anywhere in my career. I’ve always felt like the weirdo who wanted to make everyone feel better and have a voice for the underdog and to… help save the world.

Fast forward, 7 years and here I am, finally doing the work that I always longed to do: Save the world through graphic design. Ha ha, that’s possible, right? Well, maybe not exactly or really even close, but I do feel that I have a teeny, tiny part in that now with the work that I’ve been doing with Mercy Corps. I’ve been a contractor / consultant with them for almost a year now and every time I work on one of their projects my whole being comes alive. Sometimes I even get to Skype with a partner in Uganda or Nigeria.

Some of the projects that I work on are handbooks and guidelines for programs that we Americans take for granted, like how to be a male change agent and health tool-kits. Some of the topics involve birth planning, how to take care of your baby, how the mother needs to take care of herself during pregnancy, partner roles, shared responsibilities and equal workload distribution, how to properly wash hands and use a latrine. It even attempts to dispel myths that involve things that are harmful to a baby, but which have been in their culture since the beginning of time. So many of these things seem second nature or common sense, but the world is not the all the same.

This work is powerful and necessary. And, I’m thrilled to be a small part of it and the best part? It’s totally in line with my mission: TO CREATE VISUALS THAT COMPLIMENT YOUR VOICE AND SUPPORT YOUR MESSAGE TO INSPIRE ACTION.

I feel that I’m finally doing the work that I’m meant to be doing and in line with my values and I WANT TO DO MORE. Work that is meaningful and important to the health of the world. If YOU (or someone you know) have a mission, company, product, ebook, program, course or personal brand that you’re / they’re passionate about and want to put out in the world, I’d love to help translate those ideas into a visually meaningful work of art.

All the best,
Andrea