The Bulletin

Nick Peterson is a Student Graphic Designer at University of Houston. He is studying for a bachelor of arts degree.

Who comes up with the ideas for the projects you work on?

Most projects that I work on will come from either the university or from a student organization. If it comes from a student organization they can present the project with very little or large amounts of information. Typically it is just the general idea or the information that is needed to go on the poster or marketing item. It is up to me as the designer to develop the concept of how I want to present the information and how I can make the best design possible. 

What are some of the regular challenges you face when working on different projects?

A regular challenge that I face is balancing the priorities of which job needs to be completed first. Because some clients can bring in a project months before the date they need it and other clients can bring in a project a week before they need it, I have to find the balance of which project I should work on first while also making sure I keep all the clients happy with the progress that is being made on their project. 

How did you get interested in this work? 

I became interested in graphic design in high school while taking my first computer design class. In the class they taught you the basics of the Adobe products and a little bit of color theory. This sparked my interest in design and how colors can influence how you view a design and affect your mood. Working for the Student Centers at the University of Houston I get to design for many student organizations. Every day I get to work on designs that help market their events. 

If this kind of work was your career choice, what would be your dream job? 

I plan on working in the graphic design field upon graduation, and I would love to work for a company designing movie posters. I feel like most movie posters these days have become very cookie cutter and look the same. As someone who enjoys movies, I believe the industry can do better and I would love to be a part of the next generation who designs posters that make a person stop and say “I want that hanging on the wall in my house.”