About Me

Here is my whole story in case you’re interested.

Although I have no idea why you would be.

If you’ve been wondering, “Who is this guy?” you’ve come to the right place. Grab yourself a snack and a drink and enjoy my tale.

My story begins in 1988 in my hometown of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. I had just graduated from grade 13 (they had grade 13 back then), but unlike most of my peers, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Classmates in a similar situation were enrolling in a college or university’s general program while contemplating their lives. My parents were unable to help me financially, and since I didn’t want to waste my savings on a general post-secondary program, I found myself with two choices. Get a full-time job until I decide on an educational path or go back to high school for yet another year. I knew that if I took the year off to work, the chances of my going back to school were slim. I chose the latter path and returned to high school, graduating once again in 1989. During that extra year, I focused on finding a career path I would like. With the help of my guidance counsellor, I decided that advertising was something I would like to do. I was particularly interested in creating television commercials. I chose a school in the Toronto area that offered a suitable program, looked at the cost of tuition and board, and hung my head in defeat. It would take me another year or more at my part-time job to save the money I needed.

The funny thing is, during my 1988 graduation, I had won a couple of scholarships to the local college. In 1989, I won a couple more, and they were all still good. My guidance counsellor suggested I try one year of the graphic design program while working part-time, saving for university. He said the things I would learn in graphic design could be helpful in creating television commercials. Since the scholarships from both my graduations covered my first year of tuition, I decided, why not?

Off to college

In September 1989, I started the graphic design program at St. Lawrence College and never looked back. I fell in love with the program, completed the full three years with honours, and graduated at the top of my class. The printing company I worked for during my field placement hired me as a junior graphic designer after graduation. I rose through the ranks during my 15 years of service, achieving the title of art director/systems manager. In 1996, I began experimenting with web design. I created a website for the printing company and then for several of its clients. Web design wasn’t encouraged at the print shop, as it didn’t keep the presses running, so I started working on websites from home in the evenings and on weekends. In 2005, I officially started my own web design company. I couldn’t work on graphic design projects, as they were a conflict of interest with my day job. However, more and more of my web clients were asking for print-related design services. In 2006, I left the printing company to concentrate on my own business and expanded to offer graphic design as well. I’ve been on my own ever since and loving every minute of it. I work out of a beautiful home office, where a dog and a cat keep me company during the day.

In 2019, I founded a second design company, Podcast Branding, which targets the podcast niche. In just a few short years, it overtook my established design business and now makes up the bulk of my income.

The twist that got me here

There’s one twist to this story I always find amusing. During my 3rd year of college, my classmates were reminiscing about their entrance interview into the program. This confused me, so I asked them what they were talking about. “You know”, they said, “the portfolio review and the drawing tests we all took before acceptance into the program.” I had no idea what they were talking about. I never had a portfolio review or any drawing test. In fact, I had never taken an art class in high school. Before taking the design program, I didn’t have anything to put in a portfolio. All I had done was apply for the program, receive an acceptance letter and show up on the first day. I asked the dean of the graphics department why I never had an entrance interview. He told me that since I had graduated from high school in the spring of 1988 and entered college over a year later in the fall of 1989, I was considered a “mature student” and the interview didn’t apply to me. They reserved it for students coming out of high school, thinking graphics to be an easy course. If I had applied in the fall of 1988, they would have refused me because I didn’t have a portfolio or an art background. My decision to return to high school for an extra year enabled me to bypass the traditional process and led me to the career I’m in today.

Today, web design accounts for the bulk of my work, but I always make time for print projects when they come my way. I’m also a podcaster and have a few TV show fan podcasts at another site I run solotalkmedia.com. I decided to create Resourceful Designer to give back some of the knowledge I’ve gained over the years, as well as to learn from you.

Want a chance to get to know me better?

If you would like to have one-on-one conversations with me and other like-minded designers, I encourage you to join the Resourceful Designer Community. You won’t regret it.