Featured Student: Jade Simpson

 

• Year: Senior
• Major/Minor: Graphic Design
• Quirky Fact: I’ve got a drink named after me in Scotland
• Favorite Food or Drink to Get on Campus: Mango Orange Kiwi Smoothie at Einstein Bagels
• Favorite Book/Movie/Podcast: Pride and Prejudice and Coco
• Favorite Campus Event: The OMAs Art Auction 

 

Q&A

Why did you choose Murray State University?

I came down for a tour with my mom, and the campus was small enough that I wasn’t overwhelmed, because I was super nervous about leaving home, but it was far enough away from Louisville that I could handle it.  I did a tour with Dr. ZB Smetana, one of the art history teachers, through the Department of Art & Design, and I knew this was where I wanted to be — even though I didn’t decide to major in graphic design until I was two years in. 

Why did you choose your major?

I started off as an accounting major.  I was really good at it, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do.  I tried architecture next, but I finally decided that I needed to stop dancing around what I loved and just pursue art the way I wanted to.  I knew I wanted to study digital media, and graphic design seemed to be the best route for me. Since I’ve switched to graphic design, I’ve been significantly happier.  Digital media is a clean art as opposed to getting my hands dirty — not that I don’t enjoy a good messy art medium! I would kind of play around with graphic design at home just because I wanted to, and taking the first few classes made me really fall in love with it. 

Who have been your mentors?

Jim Bryant, my advisor and one of the graphic design professors on campus, is the one who has really helped me through my graphic design student career. He’s someone that you can go to for really anything, and if he can help you he will. Currently, I’m working with Jim on my senior show, which will be this semester.  He has helped me with most of my projects, either through class or outside of class, and he’s someone whose opinion I greatly appreciate and seek out. 

I would also say Professor Sarah Martin has been a mentor to me, because she really helped me branch out as an individual. I only had one class with her, Intro to Woodworking, but she’s definitely someone I look up to even outside of the academic world. She showed me it’s okay to be a true blue individual and how to boss up and handle whatever life throws at you. 

Tell us about your any accomplishments relating to your major.

I won the Wild About Art award my first semester as an art student in the Organization of Murray Art Students (OMAS) annual show. 

Also, I am currently working on my senior portfolio show, FINALLY. It’s a collective show with five other students. For my show, I’m referencing old school posters for movies, music, shows, etc. and revisioning them with contemporary musical artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Jidenna, Koffee, and Leikeli47. I want to create an energized space with good music and new vibrant visuals. The opening day of my show is November 15, and it will be on the 7th floor of the Price Doyle Fine Arts building on campus. 

What are your plans after graduation?

I’m going home to Louisville initially to get settled and pay off debts and do some freelance work, but I want to try to get a job at an agency. Really I’d like to work at &Walsh in New York. The owner, Jessica Walsh, is someone I greatly admire. Her work is fantastic. That’s a big dream, though; the graphic design world is very competitive and they’re very high up.

I also really want to go back to Scotland, maybe work with a company over there or at least one here that has international offices. I did a semester abroad in Scotland, and I have not stopped thinking about it. They have a event called Fringe Festival, which is the biggest art festival in the world. Every August, a bunch of companies collaborate on this huge arts festival where people come from all over the world to create and perform in any space they can find. I went to a stand-up comedy show in the basement of a restaurant. It’s weird, but so much fun and a great way to get to know Edinburgh for sure. There are a few companies involved that I follow on several social media accounts and that I would be ecstatic to work for. 

What should a new student to Murray State University know?

Find a group of friends and don’t go through college alone. You might feel like you have to, but you don’t. Stay on top of school, stay on top of grades because you are paying quite a lot to be here and you want to get the most of it. Get involved with at least one social group. If you get a chance to do something wild that kind of scares you, do it. I joined a sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made so far. 

“Jade Simpson is a delightful student. She is surprising, creative, works hard, and is an excellent designer. Jade’s fun to work with because she has lots of great ideas, but is also a good listener and can take feedback and turn it into something new, original, and exciting. Jade has taken on the very serious subject of domestic abuse for her senior project — and while it will be hard work, she is approaching it with proper amounts of care, enthusiasm, and drive.”

-Jim Bryant