Q-and-A With Katie Beymer

I asked a handful of Bonfire groupies to describe Katie Beymer. In one word, here’s what they said:

• Si: Exuberant
• Jenny: Supportive
• Melinda: Loquacious (in the best way)
• Matt: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Erica: *Hugs*
• Jeff: Infectious
• Vanessa: Enthusiastic
• Becky: WHO KATIE
• Elizabeth: Effervescent
• Marion: Spirited
• Garrett: Fun
• Megan: Energetic
• Ryan: Spastic
• Aaron: Brah
• Alex H: Spontaneous
• Jenn: Unsinkable
• Missy: Ill

Meet Katie.

You’re a graphic designer, yes? What’s your favorite part about it? 

Katie: I enjoy working with other departments on projects. When I’m working on something, I like to be out with people not in my department because I get interesting outside points of view that influence the way the design ends up looking. And I think that’s cool. They tend to look at the content, not the craft. Getting feedback from people who aren’t graphically inclined makes the design process more fun, and I also feel like the final project is more accessible to people, too.

What’s your background like? 

Katie: I went to Western Oregon University for my undergraduate degree. Originally, I wanted to teach high school language arts and writing. I tutored middle schoolers for a couple of years, and I loved it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. But I found I was a little crass for that age group. So I think if I did it again, I would have to teach at the collegiate level. I ended up not pursuing it further, and went back to school and got a master’s in graphic design and book publishing.

Did you have graphic design experience before you went back to school?

Katie: Yes. I freelanced frequently through undergrad up through my master’s degree. I dinked around and taught myself how to code and how to use Photoshop in high school, but I really got serious about learning more about graphic design in 2010.

Does your writing experience help your design?

Katie: Yes. At work, for sure. Sometimes designers don’t think about the other processes when they’re working, so coming from a writing background, when I’m designing something, I’m always thinking about how the writing will affect the project, or how the client’s brand or the strategy will have an effect on the final outcome. I think it helps me to have a global mindset when working.

What inspires you as a designer? 

Katie: Music! I listen to a lot of music. It’s often one extreme or the other. If I need to crank stuff out, I’ll listen to the new Future album, and it will just destroy my eardrums. If I need to focus and get really into a project, I’ll listen to classical music. Soundtracks or DeBussy or something. I actually listen to a lot of soundtracks.

My husband and I just bought a house, and I was going through all our stuff while packing, and I came across a box that was really heavy. I clearly hadn’t opened it in a while, and it ended up being a box full of CDs still in their cases. I opened them up and found a ton of soundtracks.

Soundtracks (LOL). What’s the most embarrassing soundtrack you’ve ever owned? 

Katie: Probably “Pearl Harbor” starring Josh Hartnett and Ben Affleck. And it’s really scratched, too, so you know it got played. I think I wrote some super cheesy short story inspired by it as well. And “Memoirs of a Geisha.” There were also two Hoobastank CDs in that box. Like, why does anybody need two of that?

What were you like as a kid? 

Katie: My parents always told me I was such a good baby because I never cried. But I remember terrorizing my siblings. I have proof, on multiple VHS tapes. I was always trying to one up them. I wanted to be in the spotlight all the time. When my sister turned two, I was four, she was getting ready to open her presents, and I would come in and take her presents and open them for her. But I was really into my little sister when she was a baby. I always wanted to hold her. I think I was sweet. I liked to talk a lot. I still like to talk a lot.

One of my favorite stories of when I was a kid, I was around four or five, we were at a family gathering for my mom’s side of the family. Her side of the family is pretty reserved. I was in a room playing with my cousins, and one of them was jumping on a bed. I was very into rules and not breaking them, so I came in and said, with my hands on my hips, “If you keep jumping on the bed, my dad’s going to come in here and kick your ass.” I don’t know what happened after that.

Related resources:

• Fireside Chat: Q-and-A With Erica Townsend
• How to Become a Graphic Designer Without Going to School
• Tyler Perry’s ‘The Passion’ Brought Back Hoobastank, and Twitter Loved It