/whoami
hello! my name is linda and i am a graphic designer living in houston, texas.
I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and specialize in print media and layout design.
My favorite color is blue. I like to paint, and I also enjoy reading, watching tv and movies, and playing video games.
why, yes! i am currently seeking employment!
areas of particular interest:
Print media:
layout design and typesetting
package design, collateral
invitations/stationery
annual reports, forms, manuals (yes, i actually like doing this!)
Digital media:
UI design, motion graphics
Related industries:
advertising
marketing
photography/photojournalism
FAQ
where did the name "linda of texas" come from?
When I lived in chicago, I found that walking up to people and saying "Hi, I'm Linda, I'm from Texas." was a great icebreaker.
I also found it to be a particularly great conversation starter when I worked in the music industry and traveled around doing promotions. People started referring to me as "Linda from Texas" or simply "Texas" and the name just stuck.
can you make a website for me?
The short answer: probably not.
The long answer: web design is not something I am particularly skilled at, though try as I might to master it. Some people have a knack for web design, I just don't. The best I can do is create a very basic, static page in Dreamweaver. In fact, I had a substantial amount of help creating this site from my lovely friend Jamie. She built it, I simply filled in the blanks with pictures and information. My skills lie in the conceptualization and layout, rather than the nuts and bolts of coding and construction!
tl;dr — a hard hitting look at my journey to become a designer
I initially began my college career as an English Literature major to pursue my passion for reading and writing, but soon realized I was spending a disproportionate amount of time on the presentation and style of my work than I was on the actual content... often staying up well past the completion of a project to make it "look really cool". Upon this realization I asked myself if I wanted to continue pursuing a degree in something I was not completely dedicated to or if I wanted to follow my true passion for art and design. shortly thereafter, I enrolled in a design program and found my true calling as a graphic designer not a moment too soon.
While in pursuit of my BFA, I discovered an affinity for type and quickly became known to my friends and instructors as "typography girl". This love for type was allowed to really take hold during my internship at the Museum of Printing History. There, I was given the opportunity to design a poster for an upcoming lecture using the museum's vast catalog of lead and wood type. It was during those three weeks of virtually living in the print shop where I fell hopelessly in love with typography and all that it had to offer.
Standing in the dimly lit studio all day, hands covered in dust and lead, loading tiny pieces of type into the bed of a printing press, then finally inking and printing by hand after dozens of hours of typesetting might seem barbaric to some, but for me it was pure bliss. Holding pieces of type in my hand and having to spend hours physically changing the layout was not only an incredible opportunity very few designers today are able to experience, but it gave me a greater understanding of layout and typesetting that I was able to directly translate into digital applications. And it certainly gave me a new appreciation of the convenience of digital typesetting!
This literal "hands-on" experience gave me a unique outlook on design and has completely shaped my approach to design. Even in school, all projects were approached with real-world variables in mind, even for hypothetical clients. My designs not only included an aesthetically pleasing solution to the presented problem, but also considered things like paper choice, print methods, cost of materials and production, and intended audience—something not many students think about. Thinking beyond just "make it look cool" is what netted me the honor of being chosen as having the best portfolio in my graduating class.
