Leanna Martin: Alumni Spotlight

Leanna Martin graduated from both Furman University and Miami Ad School shortly before Furman offered a master’s in strategic design. Her experiences helped shape the future of what the partnership between our two schools would become and would lay the foundation for the new Master of Arts in Strategic Design.

 

Hey y’all! I’m Leanna and I just spent two years here in Atlanta studying design at the Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center.

Why did you enroll in the design program?

I wasn’t introduced to design until a little bit later in my career at Furman University. I came in thinking I wanted to pursue chemistry and psychology.  I felt like I didn’t quite have enough under my belt, so I wanted to continue my education and learn more before I went out into the job market. I thought this would be a great way to get some more education and learn some more about design, and what it’s all about.

How have your experiences in the program impacted you?

Coming to Miami Ad School, I found out design was this awesome thing where you problem solve for people and create beautiful things. That’s the marriage of art and medicine essentially. I’ve been really excited to find this program, and have been learning some wonderful things these past few years. I’m definitely so thankful for my education, and thankful for the teachers that have pushed me and that have shown me how important design is and how it can really create impact and change.

What was your experience with design before entering the program?

I kind of thought it was a little bit more about pretty pictures before, but it’s a really important field.

I think it’s always better to have a different background. We’re not problem-solving for artists, typically, we’re problem solving for all different types of people, whether it’s teachers or lawyers or medical people. It’s better to have an education that’s super well rounded. It’s awesome that Furman offers a liberal arts education. I definitely think (not having a background in design is) not something that should deter you. It’s almost kind of an extra thing that you have on your shoulder to add.

What is something that you’ve learned through the program that you’d like to share with others?

I always hated signing all of my pieces. I didn’t want to put my name on it. I wanted it to stand alone, but in design, everything that we interpret and everything we create is from our own perspective and that’s what makes it so unique and special. I have definitely had some different experiences from other people that make it my own. Understanding how important it is to put a little bit of yourself into everything you create, and owning it. It’s uniquely yours and no one else could have came up with this because it’s from you and your perspective and your experiences. Making sure that that’s important.

Yeah, you’re not going to design something and put your name on a packaging or product design, because that’s just not how design works, but letting yourself be part of it, and designing through your experience is kind of like your signature.