Sally Jenkins is a Charlotte graphic designer and the owner of page2studio, a firm she founded in 2010. Visit her site at page2studio.com. She has been an AIGA member since 2009.
Where are you from?
I am a true Charlotte native. My parents still live in the same house in Myers Park to which I was brought home as a baby. Thirty years ago their neighborhood was “transitional” so it’s been very interesting to see what it has become today. When we moved back after college, my husband and I bought a house in the Chantilly neighborhood, which I didn’t know even existed growing up. It’s a totally different city over here, with such a vibrant community of young people and a great urban feel. It definitely feels like the right place to be creative and inspired. And who knows what it will look like in thirty years?
What attracted you to the design profession?
I have been an artist since I was 4 years old. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t creating something on paper. But my type-A side knew that I wouldn’t be a great starving artist, so in high school my dad found several local designers for me to follow around for an afternoon. I knew then that graphic design would be the perfect marriage of creativity and business for me. Someday, I would like to get back to the canvas again and see what my style looks like after so many years of computer-based design.
If you could be any super hero (existing or new), who would you be and why?
I would be a mix between Superman and Elastigirl (from the Incredibles). I started my own business to be able to keep my creative profession going while also being a great mom to my two kids, who are 5 and 2.5. But that means that every day I am in and out of the phone booth every couple hours, and often every couple minutes, putting my Mom cape on, then my Designer cape, all day and night. I feel pulled in all directions 24/7 maintaining this “balance.” But when I look back on this time later, I know I’ll be glad that I was able to maintain this creative part of myself while still being very involved in my kids’ childhoods. And my kids will see me doing a job that I love that also challenges me every day.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I do all of this with no coffee. I’ve never had a single cup, it just tastes bad to me. I recently took up green tea just for the caffeine, but I mostly rely on the little sleep I get, the support of my amazing husband and friends, prayers, and adrenaline to get me though each day.
What are you currently working on?
I am working on the packaging for a new kid’s granola bar that will be hitting shelves later this year. It’s been a great branding project for me, involving lots of research into competitors, messaging hierarchy, and the nuances of packaging design. Many of my clients are start-ups who come to me with a great idea and the need for their product or company to fit appropriately and attractively into the right marketplace niche. I love being able to give them the confidence to grow their brand.
About AIGA Charlotte’s Member Spotlight
Each month AIGA Charlotte interviews a selected AIGA Charlotte Member. It is a great opportunity for the Charlotte design community to see who AIGA Charlotte is along with all the amazing things our members are doing. If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed and appear on AIGA Charlotte’s Member Spotlight, please contact Patrick Saleeby, Membership Director.
