MHCC Integrated Media Program

ART DIRECTOR at Blue Marble Creative in White Salmon, Washington

I like the idea of being a bridge between disciplines — helping to collect information from specialists and repackage it so it has relevance to a wider audience. Each new project is an opportunity to learn and grow in a new way, to positively impact clients, their customers and the planet at large.

Christine took a non-traditional path into the graphic design profession. Growing up in Wyoming there were obvious signs — she sold paintings to friends and family, started a pretend greeting card company, and was the go-to person for any design needs in her social circle. In high school she competed nationally in marketing clubs, designed the cover for her school's literary magazine, and planned to pursue a career in design or marketing.

However, with limited design opportunities in a rural state, a general thirst for knowledge, and a desire to make a positive impact, she ended up with a BA in Biology, Spanish, and Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies from the University of Wyoming (plus a suspicious amount of art electives.) Ironically, she once spent a semester studying Spanish and Tropical Ecology at a graphic design college in Costa Rica. Her BA led to an adventurous few years of stream ecology research in places like the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park and remote jungles of Venezuela. She became a published scientist with a particular obsession for nutrient cycling, but wanted to become involved in the communication aspects of environmental issues.

She later served as Marketing Manager for an international non-profit publisher of environmental education curriculum where her focus was to generate revenue through material sales. In this role she managed print and web design projects, gained a first-hand understanding of the client perspective, and finally decided that she should be a designer. She went back to school and earned an AAS in Graphic Design at Mt. Hood Community, working as a freelance designer and earning valuable internship credit at the same time.

Christine believes in using graphic design as a tool for bridging gaps between disciplines and cultures, which is reflected in her unique background. She is endlessly fascinated by learning about the amazing things our clients do and is grateful for the opportunity to do meaningful work by supporting their efforts. (Special thanks to Lisa Mullis, founder of Blue Marble for this story)