When I’m not buckled into the design chair, I’m running for the hills. Together with my wife, Emily, and my dog, Oscar, we try our best to get lost in nature as often as possible. But you’re here for the origin story, right? Sure, sure …

I was raised on journalism. No really, my now-retired mom was a high school journalism teacher and yearbook adviser who showed me the fundamentals of the profession from my earliest days. There’s a tall tale that I taught myself to read by staring at newspapers. Sesame Street probably helped …

I took my mom’s classes beginning in junior high school, and she remained my journalism teacher through my senior year. Both my mom and the high school newspaper she advised won just about every state and national award they were in the running for over the years, so I was off to a good start.

I began working part-time at the local newspaper in high school, pasting up ads in the back shop. I eventually came back as an adult to design those ads. So when I say I’m a lifer, it’s not hyperbole. As much as my work has been printed in newspapers, they have been printed into me my entire life.