Career Paths: Webster Holds Grand Designs for Her Future
Senior has helped push CSU Athletics Brand
Kyle Crooks
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As a child, she's always remembered being inclined to visual arts and graphic design through sports. As an 11-year-old living in San Francisco, Reilly Webster was asked to create her first design by her recreational swim team and created T-shirts for all of the team members, helping fuel her passion today as she continues improving upon her graphic-design work.
"My first design was a low-stake assignment, but I knew the lady putting our program together. When I was asked to design T-shirts for everyone, she totally let me run with my idea," Webster said. "I actually made that design using Microsoft Word, which is hilarious to the programs we use today like Adobe Creative Suite, and how it compares to what I've learned working over at Rams Creative."
Webster was introduced into the world of design at a young age, and her curiosity only grew from there -- and so did the complexity of graphic design. With better technology and access to more unique tools, the world of design has only grown and it takes a committed and talented individual to continue pursuing a career in this field.
As a senior edging towards graduation in May, Webster is looking to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design. Paired with a degree unique to her passion, Webster has been working with Rams Creative design department and chief coordinator of graphic and flash design Joe Cooper for nearly two years and has helped play a key role in creating various artwork around the athletic department.
The opportunity to join Rams Creative was offered to Webster when she was just a sophomore and has opened the doors with the perfect opportunity to create within her favorite sports, improve upon her own personal and creative skills, as well as bring attention to her style of design.
"She is an outstanding intern with a tremendous work ethic and upbeat attitude," Cooper said. "Reilly has contributed immensely to CSU Athletics’ design bandwidth while elevating the overall brand with eye-catching designs, and I can't wait to see what she creates next."
With the time Webster has spent with the department, she has created a variety of different types of graphics, ranging from season-long roster cards, illustrated patterns, 90's night themed typography and even departmental branding. Webster is a passionate and talented artist who improves her work, by always creating new things.
"It has been amazing being with Rams Creative, and it's one of the first jobs that has allowed me to create things that align with my style of art."Reilly Webster, Rams Creative Intern
As the chief coordinator and overseeing the design work for all sports on campus, Cooper has to balance giving students like Webster creative freedom in their projects, while also keeping them within specific guidelines and their own brand identity.
"Our branding always comes first and foremost," Cooper said. "Once you have those elements in place and incorporated appropriately, we let the creativity flow. This sometimes means going through several iterations and mockups before real progress is made and the best idea is apparent."
Coupling those ground rules with her own creative freedom, Webster is constantly learning new ideas to include in her work and has created some notable pieces for this year's athletics department. Her favorite projects involve social-media graphics such as banners, profile logos, and she even created hard-copy posters for the tennis, cheer and poms teams. Webster gravitates toward sports design because there's always been that connection for her, as well as big opportunities opening up in the world of sports-graphic design.
"Reilly did a tremendous job creating an evolving series for this year's volleyball roster cards," Cooper said. "One of my favorite pieces was her design for the 2019-20 tennis schedule poster with their "Fort Fun" theme. She did a tremendous job overcoming challenges with various sport program designs this year.”
The challenges a designer faces when following guidelines aren't comparable to the challenges faced when writing an essay or even giving a presentation. Instead, designers such as Webster overcome their challenges by trying new techniques and creating different ideas through trial and error.
"Thankfully, designing this year's cheer and poms posters had a slow turnaround on when those had to be done," Webster said. "That time allowed me to put a lot of effort into my work and bring new ideas into my projects that I've never used before; So, that peace of mind in having more time on these projects helped me overcome some tough challenges."
While spending most of her time with Rams Creative, Webster also enjoys posting her work on social media and has a portfolio as well as multiple social media accounts where she posts new design techniques and tips for the design community to see. She's helping others who aspire to be like her get more practice every day in their specific areas of need, and is proving to be an excellent role model for up-and-coming design artists.
"It has been amazing being with Rams Creative, and it's one of the first jobs that has allowed me to create things that align with my style of art," Webster said. "Joe gives me a lot of creative freedom as long as I stay within our brand identity, and within that, I can come up with anything I like. It's perfect, because I'm passionate about both sports and graphic design."
With graduation right around the corner for her, Webster is already looking ahead to her future in graphic design and is prepared to head back home where she began her journey in San Francisco.
"I've always imagined myself at an independent design firm, or as an in-house designer for a San Francisco corporation," Webster said. "I'm really interested in creating brand identities and developing global campaigns, so I'm hoping those opportunities come into play wherever I end up."
With the spark created by designing a T-shirt, visual artwork and graphic design have led her on a path of success as she continues to leave her mark in the design department before graduating. With a love for what she does, Webster is always improving upon her skills, and design experience is what she'll be using to separate herself from the competition out in the real world.
"The sky's the limit for Reilly. She could go to a large corporate branding agency, a small niche illustration-focused studio, or even continuing in the world of sports,” Cooper said. “She has so many aspirations and talents, so it will be exciting to see where her future unfolds."
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