About Jen Thayer

I have a BFA in Graphic Design and graduated from East Tennessee State University with Summa cum Laude honors. Growing up in East TN didn’t make for lots of digital design opportunities, but practicing on a 3”x5” Wacom tablet grew my skills in photoshop from an early age, and my college studies helped foster my fascination with how illustrative bodies of text can be when put together in ever exceedingly creative ways.

Currently, I am employed with Implus Footcare, LLC as an in-house Senior Graphic designer. This position has a primary focus on package design, while also involving photography, marketing design, and display/installation pieces. Being an in-house designer for a company with multiple brands makes daily tasks exciting and consistent. As a person who wants to help at all times, my role as a Senior Graphic Designer is to be a reliable go-to person for questions the other designers may have. I try to keep up with our art server organization (where can I find this file?) as well as best practices with artwork creation (How do I do this in photoshop/illustrator?).

I interned at Jarden Applied Materials then Newell Brands, under Timothy C. Delong during the summers of 2015 and 2016. During that time, I participated in several design areas of existing product lines. This participation included designing the Shakespeare® 2015 Trimmer Accessory Catalog, the Shakespeare® QuickConnect logo, Interface design on the WebWhip products, as well as several icons and informational graphics for office use.

What I do

Primarily working as a package designer, I work with all aspects of the print design world to some extent. What I mean by that is a single package includes photo editing, copy layout, illustrations for either tone or instructive element, dielines need adjusting, and so on. Packages bring traditionally 2D design into a semi 3D space which requires a lot of trial and error in-house before it proceeds to production. On top of package design, being an in-house designer means various other requests start showing up periodically. Whether those projects are for internal presentation slide templates, infographics, marketing collateral, or assisting with other teams on video and digital design, as a designer I’m expected to contribute to the success of the entire department.

I enjoy tackling new projects where I get to research and learn new programs so I can grow as a professional. Being able to grow how many programs I can use helps remove the limits on what I can bring to a design project. Additionally, While I haven’t done too much freelance work, illustrative projects have always been a passion of mine. I try to approach each project, where time allows, to experiment with a new technique or style to push my skillset.

Awards & Exhibitions

Silver Addy 2018- Guerilla Marketing, Installations and Events Category (Bear Witness Exit Show)

Bear Witness, Senior Exit Exhibition (March-April 2017)

Student Honors Show, Department Juried Exhibition, (April-May 2014, May 2016, May 2017)

Punch-In, Student Gallery, (April-May 2014)

"Selfie", 3D Design Class Student Gallery, (March 2014)