Why a Hexagon in the Andrews Graphic Design logo?

Growing up, my dad's special nickname for me was "honeybee," which is what Melissa means in Greek. Now I look back and the name always makes me smile. I am happy to be compared with industrious, task-oriented bees. They work without pause at the labor that is necessary for their survival, but it's not a chore to them. Bees do what comes naturally, and in the process they create something useful, enjoyable, and sweet. The hexagon, reminiscent of the wax cells in a honeycomb, represents me not only in name, but in work ethic and enthusiasm. Blue is well —cheerful, and the pen nib reminds me of the hand-crafted element that is real in my work whether it's developed on paper or a computer screen.

How did I arrive at graphic design?

Everyone has those key segments of life that work together to build them into the person that they are today. My current focus in life is graphic design, but that has been influenced by previous experiences including an education that introduced me to a wide variety of art expressions. Pencil and pen & ink drawing, oil and watercolor painting, printmaking, calligraphy—I found I liked it all, but even as I began my education as an art major at Portland State University, I was also hired as a part-time ski instructor in my first school term. This tangent may not seem necessarily relevant to graphic design, but through teaching a wide range of ages, skill levels, and temperaments to ski, I came to a deeper understanding of what it means to communicate. After I became full certified with PNSIA (#3099 Pacific Northwest Ski Instructor's Association), I made the move to Government Camp, Oregon (at the base of the Mt Hood ski areas), to teach skiing full time and manage new instructor training and certification prep as Technical Director for Timberline Ski School. 

After reading an article about glass-etching I dove into research and became fascinated with techniques. I immersed myself in experimentation and soon was teaching Glass-etching classes at Cline Glass in Portland, OR. Eventually I taught beginning through advanced glass-etching classes and workshops in Oregon and California. I greatly admired the work of Savoy Studios, a leader in the design and fabrication of glass for specialized architectural installations, and was hired when they moved their operations from California to Portland.  Glass is an unforgiving medium, not only is it susceptible to breakage, but even a scratch can make a piece unacceptable, and precise measuring is everything—down to a 64th of an inch. I worked in the etching department using a pressure pot system and wearing an air-fed helmet and dust-free bunny suit to to hand-etch glass. I refined designs, applied resist, transferred and hand-cut designs in preparation for sandblasting—with styles varying from deep carving, and air-brush style light etching, to free-form sculpting. Under the direction of Sue Grauten our team worked together collaboratively, offering suggestions, passing a piece from person to person depending on the specialty required, and celebrating each job as it was completed. There was never a better team, and I appreciate the innovative attitude, attention to detail, and overall interdependent cooperation I learned from the talented artists that Savoy collected and encouraged to come up with results that pushed the boundaries of what was possible with this fragile medium.

I enrolled in the Integrated Media program at Mt. Hood Community College, with a concentration in graphic design earning my A.A.S. in 2010. After completing my degree I did freelance work, and also worked part-time at the college in Graphic Services. This gave me a wonderful inside look at what happens to a file after it leaves the designer's hands and goes into production, eventually becoming a book, report, business card, poster, pad, or other promotional item—large format  or small. Again, planning and precision is essential to successful production in this field.

Hired at Blue Marble Creative in 2012, I enjoyed 4 years with this team of hard-working, like-minded, detail oriented individuals. Blue Marble Creative is a communications design firm focused on generating visibility for organizations involved in important social issues and helping them to have a greater impact on the causes they serve. Located in White Salmon, Washington, my typical work week would have me in the office one day, and then working from home the remainder of the week. Principles and co-owners, Christine Fisher and Lisa Mullis took me under their collective wing and mentored me in every aspect of marketing and graphic design. I have the highest respect for them both as professionals and women living as creatives in every aspect of their lives.

I continue to accept freelance work, enjoying how the individual components of my life have influenced who I am, and how I look at possibilities, process, and the path to discovering creative solutions.