Evan
Puckett has been busy. Since graduating from CVCC with a degree in
Communication Design, Evan has continued along the path of success that he
started as a student. Only two years out of school Evan has been able to
establish himself as a bright young designer in which
almost no area of communication design has been off limits to his talents.
Called on to produce everything from catalogues to web pages and all of the
art work in between Evan has shown a wide range of remarkable talents.
Like most young people, Evan got into artistic production naturally. But
something as esoteric as a career in the arts can seem out of reach. Luckily
for Evan he got encouragement from his parents. ”I didn't think this was
going to be my career in high school…..My Mom was actually the one who
showed me the Communication Design program at CVCC, and it seemed like the
most fun way to get through college.” The good advice and encouragement he
received gave him the confidence he needed to give CVCC and the
Communication Design program a chance. The first steps seemed to lead upon a
long and difficult path. But he also had a sense that it might also be fun
and exciting.
However, school is not all fun and like many other
community college students, Evan worked his way through school. But this
proved to be just another important part of the education process. While at
CVCC, Evan was employed at the Wingate hotel in Lynchburg. The many late
night shifts gave him time to work on his school projects. His growing
graphic design talents soon came to the attention of his managers at the
Wingate. Before long Evan was meeting a
significant amount of the graphic design needs for the hotel and its
subsidiary businesses. Evan soon realized he was performing important duties
well beyond the normal responsibilities of his job. He also realized that he
was in the process of beginning his career as a designer. With this
realization Evan was starting to consider that it might be time for a
change.
The opportunity for that change came in the form of an unfortunate accident. His good friend Ashbe Smith suffered a broken leg. Having no family in the area, Ashbe convalesced at Evan’s house. While waiting for his leg to heal Ashbe and another friend worked up a business plan to open a beer and wine store. They would call it Ned's Beer and Wine. Needing the necessary professional graphic design for their startup business, they coaxed Evan away from the Wingate. He got to work producing all of the graphic design materials that a young business needs - logos, letterhead, websites, photography and more, even hand making some of the signage. Evans early contribution has helped Ned’s Beer and Wine to become a thriving small business here in Lynchburg and a constant visual reminder of his determination and talent.
But a small business only needs so much graphic
design, and Evan found himself doing a lot of other jobs at Ned's that were
not quite as exciting as being the graphic designer. This realization
coincided with his next bit of luck. It came in the form of a classified ad
in the Lynchburg News and Advance. A company called Fabriko was advertising
for a full time graphic designer. Fabriko designs and manufactures a wide
range of graphic design products for a Who’s Who of important corporations.
The list includes Coca Cola, Mars (M &
M’s), Starbucks, Macy’s, Kraft, Avon, and National Geographic, to name just
a few. Evan’s portfolio impressed Fabriko and he was asked to join the
company as a full time graphic designer. So from customized tote bags made
for Macy’s, to the aprons worn by the baristas at Starbucks, Fabriko is the
creative company that can produces these types of products. This has given
Evan the opportunity for his talented work to be seen by millions of people
the world over, a big responsibility for such a young designer. But Evan
seems to be meeting the challenge as evidenced by the sophisticated work he
has been producing for Fabriko since landing the position almost a year ago.
When asked what advice he has for our students, Evan had this to say: “Never stop learning, look at magazines and all of the art websites you can... CVCC taught me A LOT about the field of artistic production, but it's vital to learn how to teach yourself new skills. Take full advantage of having professors around that want to help you, and ask a lot of questions; after college the internet becomes your best friend. There exists endless knowledge at your fingertips, and you can teach yourself anything you want to know.” Keep learning and growing. Teach yourself new skills. Take advantage of all of your opportunities to learn something new. All good advice, and as evidenced by his continued success, Evan Puckett seems to be listening to his own good advice.
Evan graduated from CVCC in 2010 with an AAS degree in Communication Design. His work appeared in the 2006 edition of Polis.
John Lofaso
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