My name is Mark Sexton. I'm a graphic designer. I work for PAPP Digital Graphics. I'm the graphic artist here, so anything that involves a creative bench to it gets dumped on my desk.

A lot of people come to us for posters, letterhead or whatever. I can do a logo for a company and put it on a business card, which is something - you know - this size. Or I can do a large, trade show display, which is of course ten feet by ten feet.


[Typical Work Day:]

The first thing I do is turn on the computer and then I start designing. It’s all computer generated now. I don't take pencil to paper at all anymore. People are always looking for an image to present. You know, look around you: packaging, boxes, books, bus stops. All of them employ the skills of a graphic designer somehow. So, it’s a big field and it's growing all the time. So, you can make it, but you've got to persevere.

[Decision To Enter This Particular Occupation:]

I fell into this business. I had no intention of being a commercial artist and that's what we used to call ourselves - commercial artists. When I graduated high school, I was - I had an artistic bent. I wanted…I knew I was an artist. I knew I wasn't interested in doing anything other than creating and I thought I would be a Picasso. So, I went to art college, O.C.A. back in Ontario, Ontario College of Art; and I studied fine art and I learned how to paint and I graduated.

I drove cab, did my paintings, then I fell into an advertising company. And through that company we bought a Macintosh, which is the industry standard for graphics. We all took turns learning how to use this thing. I just kind of love it. Through courses I learned how to use Macintosh, found out that I could create logos and I can manipulate photographs and I can do page layout - all on the computer - which kind of grew from there. Now I find myself able to do almost anything creatively that I want using the computer.

[Type Of Education:]

As far as education goes, it was all on the job training. Like I say, when I went to art college we didn't have computers there. The technology was not yet established. Through the community colleges I took basic Desktop Publishing. I learned how to use Quark Express, Illustrator, PhotoShop and there's various upgrades that I've taken – especially when Internet came. So you've got to stay on top of everything, trends plus the hardware. So yeah, you've got to keep on top all the time. It's not so much been an institution education, it's been courses along the way. However, these days I'm sure that there are universities, colleges and community colleges that do offer this kind of stuff, advertising technology.

[Personal Characteristics & Attitudes:]

More so than experience and training in this industry, you have to have the gift in the first place. You have to be a creative person in the first place. If you are not a creative person – you don't walk, sleep, eat, think, breathe creativity and art and have the appreciation for colour and composition and texture – you can go ahead and buy the equipment, you can learn the programs, but you'll never be very good because you don't have an intuitive instinct to create.

You really have to exercise a lot of patience because - let's assume that you are creative and you are interested in pursuing innovative ideas and not the old standard - well, nine times out of ten you'll be working for somebody who wants you to do something that's safe. It's been done before; it's worked time and time again, so do it just like it's been done before. You have to just swallow your pride and do it. You work as a team. It doesn't really matter what the industry is I suppose. You have to respect the people as well. You may not agree with what they're saying but you've got to listen to their needs.

[Advice For Someone Entering This Field Of Work:]

You have to be true to yourself. The money's not great, but I love what I do. I look forward to coming in to work every day. And for the thirteen out of twenty let's say years that I was doing other things, I hated going to work every day. Until I was able to come up with this, and use my creativity and design and have fun. But you've got to know it's what you want to do. It's no good saying, "Well, I don't really know what I'd do (what I want to do), you know; I like to sort of draw and paint a bit so maybe that'll do." That's not good enough. You have to have it in your blood. That's what I really love about it.