For this employee spotlight series feature, we’re welcoming Megan Riley to the virtual centerstage. Sacramento born and bred, Megan is a graphic designer and motion graphic designer who has been working at Page Design for nearly five years. Our agency was her first job out of college, and she’s been a beloved part of the team ever since.
The Computer Class that Changed Everything
For Megan, a computer graphics class in high school marked her first step towards her career today. Initially suggested by her parents, the course served as Megan’s introduction to the world of graphic design. She enjoyed the class immensely, and started wondering if she could find a way to turn her interest and skills into a future career. Spoiler alert: the answer was a resounding yes.
After meeting with her high school counselor, she connected with her counselor’s brother, who worked as a professional graphic designer. The conversation with him led her to look into various college design programs that seemed to match up with her goals. Megan decided on California State University, Sacramento, a school known for its excellent graphic design program, and graduated with more passion for her art than ever. Right after graduation, Megan’s friend (a Page Design intern) referred her to our agency for a job. And as they say, the rest is history!
A Creative Force at Page Design
A true designer at heart, Megan loves the various systems and elements that come with working on multipage documents like publications and magazines. She enjoys the creative challenge of developing a series of graphics that can be used across a project without feeling repetitive or tired, and is always enthusiastic about developing multiple-page layouts. Megan expresses that there’s nothing quite like holding the end product of a print project in your hands, soaking up everything from the texture of the paper to the distinct smell of fresh ink.
One of Megan’s earliest encounters with a multipage document experience is also a project she counts as a major professional milestone: a publication for UC Davis Health, their Fall 2018 Health Magazine. Over the past few years at Page Design, she’s been proud of her role in various Visit California projects, including helping to craft the look and feel and design concepts for the various publications. Megan would love to see her role as a graphic designer at Page Design expand to include more motion graphics jobs with the artist freedom to be abstract. Though we haven’t ventured into that area as of yet, we certainly know that we’ll be calling on Megan when we do.
At the risk of taking this spotlight series for a sappy turn, we have to say that we were thrilled to hear that one of Megan’s favorite things about Page Design is our family-oriented work culture. She explains, “You get to grow with your family, and you get to learn a lot… there’s not this weird, designer ego [here] that can [sometimes] come with the job. Page Design makes design fun… [it] lets creativity grow.” Megan’s impressive skill and talent has only continued to grow during her years with us, and we’re so proud to hear that our space has been the comfortable learning environment she’s always hoped for.
Full-Time Designer, Part-Time World Traveler and Rock Climber
As it turns out, the Page Design office isn’t the only place where Megan is exercising her creative muscles; she’s also recently started work with Creativity+. This local creative coalition is a one-of-a-kind community for Sacramento creators, and has served as an outstanding arena for Megan to continue building her design skills. In her first month of working with Creativity+, she was thrilled to tackle the task of creating all the materials for the organization’s Instagram posts, email headers, and Powerpoint presentations. As much as she loves her Page Design family, Megan says that growing her circle of fellow professionals has been a highlight of the experience.
But it’s not all design, all the time for Megan. She also enjoys ceramics and is a regular at Pipeworks, a Sacramento rock climbing gym. The unique problem-solving aspect of rock climbing makes it more than just a great workout; for Megan, it’s also a form of mental relaxation. On the weekends, Megan often visits her favorite California spots including the American River Walkway, Santa Cruz, and Point Reyes.
And even though Megan is a Sacramento native with lots of love for her hometown, she’s made it a point to see plenty of the world beyond the West Coast. Kyoto, Japan tops the list as her all-time favorite travel destination, wowing her with its incredible food, stunning gardens and architecture, and amazing temples and shrines. The part of her that views the world through an artistic lens inspires her deep appreciation for the distinct amount of thought and effort that goes into the layout and architecture of Kyoto, and how flawlessly the city all comes together. For Megan, the city itself is as much a work of art as its most iconic cultural and historic sites.
Future Dreams That are as Delicious as They are Diverse
When it comes to envisioning her future, Megan’s goals are just as varied as her interests and professional skills. One of her personal mottos is, “You will always have a lot to learn, so keep an open mind,” an idea that’s had plenty of influence on where she plans to head next. Mastering the Mandarin language, something she’s wanted to do since childhood, is on her bucket list. She’d also like to continue her travel adventures, making Italy her next international stop.
Here at Page Design, Megan would love to continue learning how to scale up projects, tackling bigger, more complex tasks such as conferences. She believes firmly in the value of learning through experience, with her biggest piece of advice to new design graduates being, “Keep making stuff. Don’t stop, because you get better each time you do something!”
Of course, we had to ask Megan one of the questions that’s quickly become one of the highlights of our employee spotlight series interviews: What would you do if you were handed a million-dollar check tomorrow? We all know how much Megan loves to travel, so we weren’t too surprised to hear that her first purchase as a new millionaire would be a plane ticket to her favorite place in the world: Japan. Without question, she says that she would hop on the next flight to Japan and, upon arrival, order up a piping-hot bowl of authentic ramen — count us in!
Luckily, the Page Design team is prepared to keep Megan here with a steady supply of creative projects, new challenges, and plenty of take-out from her favorite Sacramento restaurant, Kru. After all, with her passion, creativity, and readiness to learn, she’s become an invaluable member of the Page Design family — one that we aren’t ready to lose to permanent globetrotting anytime soon.