For this month’s Employee Spotlight feature, we sat down with senior graphic designer Shannon Edgar. Like several of our Page Design team members, Shannon’s early career path wasn’t one that she necessarily expected to take her into the creative field. But thanks to a fortuitous turn of events, she’s been contributing her unique talents to Page Design projects for six years and counting.
An Unfortunate Twist of Fate that Led to a Bright New Future
At 27, Shannon had a blossoming career in currency trading. But unbeknownst to her — and every other employee at the company — their workplace was about to be turned upside down. The company’s founder was busted by the FBI for embezzlement, which set off a chain of events that resulted in every employee losing their jobs and hard-earned savings… including Shannon.
Even though it definitely didn’t seem like it at the time, this unlucky situation was actually an incredible opportunity in disguise. Shannon made the bold choice to completely redefine her professional future, rerouting her career into a decidedly more creative field by heading back to school to study graphic design. If that’s not the epitome of making lemonade out of some (seriously sour) lemons, we don’t know what is.
Making Creative Connections with Clients and Colleagues Alike
After several years at Page Design, Shannon doesn’t miss a beat when asked about what makes her so passionate about her job. The highlight, she says, is “Big concept thinking — connecting things that don’t connect in an interesting and engaging way.” One of her greatest loves in life is nurturing clear communication and inspiring people to feel, both of which she’s able to do every day through her work as a graphic designer. Having the opportunity to do a job well, meet a specific need, and make clients happy: for Shannon, that’s where her most rewarding career moments lie.
In Shannon’s eyes, every new project she’s tackled at Page Design is a milestone in and of itself. Before joining our team, she had never designed an entire book or created materials for a large-scale conference, but she soon proudly crossed both of those professional accomplishments off her list. Her confidence has also grown by leaps and bounds, and she now knows that she has both the skill and talent to art direct art projects from beginning to end. As Shannon says, “That’s kind of the nature of Page Design,” a company where, any day of the week, you might be handed a new career challenge — but you can bet that you’ll have the whole team cheering you on while you completely knock it out of the park. For Shannon, constantly growing and learning, both professionally and personally, is one of the best parts of working here.
Of course, loving your job is even easier when you love the people you work with. Here at Page Design, we’re always happy to humble-brag that our staff is an amazing group of talented, positive, and fun-loving people. And according to Shannon, she couldn’t agree with that sentiment more: “What I love most about working at Page Design is the group… we have the greatest people.” In fact, some of Shannon’s closest friends work at Page Design, making the office a place she looks forward to coming to every weekday.
Seeking Adventure Beyond the Page Design Office
Shannon is someone who deeply values connection and communication, so it’s not surprising that her off-hours are often centered around community service and spending time with friends and family. She also likes to reconnect with herself on a regular basis through self-awareness practice, meditation, and sessions in sensory- deprivation float tanks.
Her two favorite travel destinations are both distinctly exotic, but couldn’t be more different. First on her list is Iceland, which she describes as both breathtakingly beautiful and, with its below 20-degree temperatures, frighteningly formidable. Surviving the challenging temperatures while exploring the Land of Ice and Fire was a big part of the fun. Shannon’s other top travel destination? The lush, tropical islands of Fiji, which couldn’t have been a more dramatic contrast to the massive glaciers of Iceland.
Once you hear the enthusiasm with which Shannon describes her past travels, it makes sense that she has no doubts as to how she’d spend a million-dollar fortune: on seeing and experiencing everything the world has to offer. If she ended up with a winning lottery ticket, the first thing she would do is book a plane ticket to Finland. There, she could fulfill her dream of staying at one of the iconic glass igloo hotels, where she could fall asleep under panoramic views of the Northern Lights.
A little bit closer to home, Shannon likes taking weekend trips to Crater Lake and Volcano Park, as well as Wilbur Hot Springs and any other spot that stimulates her interests in nature and geology. And don’t think that she stops adventuring when she’s at home or work — whether it’s her daily walk to our local coffee shop or dinner at one of her favorite Thai restaurants, Shannon is always looking for new ways to make the most of her everyday.
A True Creative Following Her Own Path
When Shannon reflects on her childhood dreams, she can’t help but smile — because as it turns out, she’s accomplished everything she had hoped for and more. She had wanted to become either a photographer or a card designer when she grew up, and now, she gets to do both of those things as a graphic designer.
Her biggest takeaway from her career thus far? She says, “In design, there are a lot of people telling you who to be. Ignore that. There’s no right way to do it — it’s art! Be true to your vision and find the audience that gets it. Don’t try to fit into someone else’s box.” Those are wise words from a creative that manages to do exactly that, every day.