Q&A with graphic designer Elizabeth Dreher

Elizabeth Dreher is a CVPA student designer, photographer and writer, who recently won the H.S. "Buddy" & Janet N. Johnston Outstanding Student Worker Award. And though this is more of a goodbye (she graduates Saturday), we thought you should get to know the person behind the posters, the Faces of the CVPA photos and her various written words.

1. Where are you from originally?

A. Williamsburg, Va.

2. What is your major and minor?

A. I'm majoring in graphic design with a minor in marketing

3. Why did you choose Radford to pursue an art degree?

A. I chose Radford because I liked how small and personal the program is. I also like how the teachers are really active with the learning process and involved in our education.

4. What are your artistic passions?

A. It's hard for me to pick what I enjoy the most about design work. I really enjoy designing packaging. I like the satisfaction of taking a flat image that is designed on the computer and constructing a 3-dimensional product out of it. I also enjoy the challenge of taking people’s thoughts and non-visual information and turning those into an image or design that conveys those ideas and captivates an audience.

5. What are some of the things that you have contributed to the CVPA?

A. For the CVPA I do a lot of photography and portraits, especially for the Faces of the CVPA Q&A. I also design posters for the music department including the Hispanic Heritage Month, guest artist Jason Vieaux and the fall honors concert. I also write press releases such as the ones for Professor Alison Pack and graduate student Nathan Popp.

6. What do you feel you have gained from your experience in work-study thus far?

This work-study has been more like an internship and has been a wonderful opportunity for me to learn and grow as a designer. Taking this work-study has been the most challenging and rewarding experience in my college career.

7. What are your plans for after you graduate?

A. I do not know what I want to do exactly but I would like to get a job where I can put to use all the skills that I have learned through the years.

8. What are some of your hobbies/interests?

A. Photography. My favorite thing about photography is that I do it just for me.

9. What do you enjoy about photography?

A. I enjoy graphic design – do not get me wrong – but photography is where I get to express myself. I get to interpret what I see, the way I want to and share it with others. I usually shoot in digital, but I recently got into film and I am in love.

10. What do you enjoy about film?

A. It is just magical how the process works. My favorite subject to shoot in film is nighttime photography. The darkness gives me the power to control the light and what you see and what you do not. The light at night, when captured in film, seems to shimmer off the paper to create a whimsical feeling.