When I made the decision to take on the role of Marketing & PR Manager at Huntin’ Fool in November 2019, I knew the position would entail a variety of projects. Part of this is due to the fact that it was a new position within the company, but it also came down to the fact that there were multiple areas that needed attention. This sounded challenging to me, which naturally made me want to jump on the offer. While I knew there’d be some adjusting, I couldn’t have predicted the ways that I’d grow in just 12 months, particularly in regards to design. Yes I have a design degree, yes I’ve handled nearly all of the branding for my personal company, but in the 8 years that I’ve been out of school I have done very little design work outside of that. I wanted to document all of the projects I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in up until this point. In 1 year, these have helped me grow as a creative mind, as a team player, and has significantly increased my confidence in this role. These are untouched or “very little experience” areas for me and I can’t wait to see what’s in store over the next year at Huntin’ Fool!
PRINTED MAGAZINE ADS
With COVID-19 in full force, about half of our office has been working remotely, including our graphic designer. She’s very talented and handles every single 130+ page magazine every month, but with us combining issues last minute, we were in crunch time and I was asked to design an ad. Not just a single page, but a spread! Yikes! I knew I could do it, but I was intimidated to say the least. Luckily, I had a vision, and after watching multiple YouTube tutorials, it came to life better than I imagined! To learn the same mosaic portrait technique, watch this video. I’ve also done a handful of single page ads!
As seen in the 2020 April/May issue of Huntin’ Fool magazine, pages 12-13.
PAID ADS
One of my favorite things to do every month is create the paid ads that will be promoted across social media. I love seeing what types of photos or wording is more affective and tweaking it each month.
TRADE SHOW BOOTH DESIGN
This was easily the most foreign and therefore the most challenging, but easily the funnest project to date! It was also my first big project on the job! Thankfully I had a stellar crew to work with, and Brady Harang (our media guy) was my saving grace. It literally wouldn’t have come together the way that it did without his creativity, positive mind, and patience. Our whole team played a part, but he and I handled the bulk of it. This is at our busiest show, the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo (WHCE) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Huntin’ Fool booth at the 2020 Western Hunting & Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, UT
MISCELLANEOUS PROJECT GRAPHICS
From new membership tiers to guest column logos, mapping and testimonials, I’ve been challenged in just about every area!
PUBLISHED ARTICLES
Writing has been a therapeutic outlet for years, and it only seemed natural to write for an outdoor publication with all the adventures I’ve been on, but for whatever reason it hasn’t happened until January 2020! Sure, it was just a “Meet Jessica” article in the January 2020 issue, but it was still special. Later on, in March 2020 then again in August 2020, I wrote a product review as well. It’s nice having the opportunity to write in such a respectable publication, especially when I didn’t know that was a possibility in the first place. There are a couple more articles on the schedule for 2021 already - can’t wait!
T-SHIRT LINE
The only shirt design I’ve done in the last 10 years was for my personal brand and it involved slapping a logo on the front. Does that even count?? Ha, I don’t think so! These designs were from scratch though, and I was able to turn some awesome in-house photography into digital graphics, making them one-of-a-kind.
SOCIAL MEDIA TEMPLATES
One thing that’s super important for every brand is consistency. I wanted our audience to be able to associate a certain design with a specific announcement, so the work began! I designed templates for podcasts, application deadlines, draw results, gear giveaways, membership drives, etc.
3D Mapping Icons
This was another completely foreign project, but really fun! Huntin’ Fool launched a 3D mapping and research platform in 2020 and I was able to create all of the waypoint icons. I imagine there will be more in time, but this is the Version 1 round!
For the record, these aren’t actual waypoints within my account. This is simply an example of how the icons appear on the new 3D mapping platform! For more information, visit www.huntinfool.com.
Stepping into a robotic, repetitive position would be so boring for me and quite honestly, I wouldn’t make it a day. This job has me waking up every day excited for what’s next and has kept me from becoming complacent. It has reminded me what it means to have a good work ethic, to stay organized, to ask for help when necessary and learn from my peers. Unfortunately, I was struggling in those areas before moving to Utah. Regardless if the world around me could see it, I felt it every day. I’m so thankful for my talented, supportive team that’s eager to be better than the day before! Huntin’ Fool continues to grow in all the right directions and it’s extremely motivating. I’m pumped to see what God has in store for me in 2021, because I certainly didn’t know I’d have this much fun when I accepted the position a little over a year ago!