Northeastern University: Vanessa Gregorhik

Vanessa Gregorhik is studying for a BFA in Graphic and Information Design at Northeastern University.

What got you interested in graphic design?

I’ve always been passionate about people and places. I grew up exploring with a notebook in one hand, a nonfiction read in the other. Sharing stories and communicating experiences were at the forefront of my interests, and throughout school that took form in journalism, art, and writing. It took until college for me to realize that the combination of those subjects was the heart of graphic design.

What do you like about the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern?

Northeastern University encourages and enhances each program to be as interdisciplinary as possible, so my design degree at Northeastern’s College of Arts, Media and Design has allowed me to explore all of these subjects. The most difficult thing about studying and practicing design can be working in a vacuum, playing with pretend projects that don’t address the nuances of client critique and market application. Within the CAMD ecosystem, I became involved with Scout, Northeastern’s student-led design studio, which allowed me to connect my craft with my community. Throughout my time with the organization, I’ve worked as a designer for two ventures, managed a project for a new online magazine, and designed a 300+ student-run conference. I have been able to directly work with ventures and the people behind them to create not only a solution that is beautiful and functioning, but responds to their environment and business needs.

How has Northeastern enabled you to develop your skills?

I’ve been able to use all of these skills within my co-op, a full-time internship at a company in my industry, to work on a diverse range of tasks that correspond well to my interdisciplinary interests. Because of my experiences in Scout, I’ve been able to hit the ground running at my first co-op, Upstatement, where a typical day might include photography, content strategy, web design, development, or running client meetings and workshops. Every day is a surprise, and I’ve been well prepared to tackle these evolving workplaces thanks to the quick-adapting programs at Northeastern and Scout.

Where do you imagine yourself in 10 years?

Because I like to work on the whole design spectrum, it’s hard to say where I imagine myself to be in 10 years but I hope and will strive to carve out environments that let me work on the always exciting, ever-changing projects and get the opportunity to introduce others to the industry and mentor them on how to empower integrative skillsets.