Me In Sunny Carolina: August 2021

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Secret Passion

Perhaps in another life I would have been a movie director? Hardly, but I love the process of filming and editing video for short clips of information. Sometimes the videos are meant to help build community and sometimes they are meant for instruction and technical information. Either way, if you see me with my camera, get ready for your close-up.

Here's a short "thank you" video I created to accompany an e-blast message after the TCNA tradeshow.

This video is used to help customers of a specific floor test understand how the results of the test are determined.

This video instructs remote users of the equipment how to use it properly to achieve accurate test results.

Face-to-Face

After TCNA’s 2020 trade show, Coverings, was cancelled due to COVID-19, and Coverings 2021 was postponed from March to July 2021, it was exciting to gather face-to-face (masked) in Orlando for a much-anticipated first step back to “normal.” Collateral designs that had been sitting on my shelf for a year + were dusted off and updated. I still get goosebumps when opening a box of freshly-printed materials from the printer!

Why Tile Gatefold Brochure

Lab Services Gatefold Brochure

Antiviral Testing Postcard

References

I have known and worked for Cindy Faber Smith since 1998 when she, as the art director for Science magazine, commissioned me to do the cover art for the magazine. It was a bit of a surprise since my artwork is geared towards the children’s market. Typical of Cindy, she wanted to bring a different approach to that month’s cover of a rather dry, technical publication. What at first seemed to be a rather impossible assignment (a “hidden picture” type of piece, incorporating many diverse elements) turned out to be one of the most satisfying assignments I have had in my career. She contacted me again a couple of years later with another fresh approach to the cover art utilizing the red queen from Alice in Wonderland as the theme.

I was surprised, when a few years later, she contacted me as the new art director of Highlights. As a child I had a subscription to Highlights, so I had quite an affection for this magazine. Cindy has brought her many skills as a designer to give this 60+ year-old magazine a fresher, more updated look, while still keeping the trademark Highlights style.

Working with Cindy is always a pleasure. She is simply the best art director I have worked with in my 30-year career. She does not over direct and she allows the artist enough freedom to make them feel that they are adding something of their own selves to the illustrations. She is not heavy handed with her suggestions which produces a very positive collaboration.

Because Highlights hosts an annual party for their illustrators, I finally was able to meet Cindy in person. She is a delightful person, filled with humor, intelligence and warmth. I cannot sing her praises more boldly.

David Galchutt

Illustrator

I’ve known Cindy Smith for 25 years. Over the years, I’ve come to rely on her for her humor, earnestness, and enthusiasm in countless situations.

Aside from being an artist, she is a keen observer who thrives on the challenge of dissecting problems and always seems to find a creative solution. She also has the ability to guide others in solving problems that seem insurmountable. In many ways, I’ve become a better person through observing her at work, in our community, and at play.

I admire the way Cindy experiences life and am proud to count her among my closest and most trusted friends. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her for any job. I know she would embrace any challenge and undoubtly rise to any occasion.

Sincerely,
Dolores Motichka

“In the cynical world of illustration, I hold Cindy as a ray of light, a turning point in my hopes of a career in illustration. The über belief she had in my work encouraged me to chase after my dreams. My illustrations have now appeared in The New Yorker, for Major League Baseball, in hosts of magazines and children’s books.”

David Leonard