a brief history of my life as a graphic artist

My career in the graphic arts/publishing field happened almost by accident. In high school I didn't have any real direction or goals—other than to graduate— but had what might be called a leaning towards art. I was one of those guys who was constantly doodling on test papers and cared more about my ceramics project than my history midterm. My parents, teachers and guidance counselor couldn't categorize me, so they pretty much left me to find my own way. Senior year I was completely bored and on a whim signed up for an advertising design class at a local trade school. I would get high school credit and spend three hours every day off campus. Unfortunately the class was over enrolled so I ended up in what was called "production art." Eventhough the class sounded pretty dull, it turned out to be the spark I needed. The class covered all aspects of design and pre-press production from thumbnails to final artwork. This was before computers changed our lives. The focus was hands on and dealt with everything from package design, advertising, and copy writing to corporate image. Many thanks to instructor Don Wilson for taking a longhaired misfit and pushing him in the right direction.

Shortly after graduation—about a week—I received a call about a job opportunity at Palos Verdes Publishing in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. I went on an interview and got a job working in the darkroom at The Palos Verdes Peninsula News. During the next five years I handled photo processing, paste-up and other pre-press responsibilities. When I left the PV News I was production mamger and over saw a staff of about nine people.

In the mid-80's I began work for Copley Los Angeles Newspapers. During my time there I was responsible for the marketing and promotion of three daily newspapers, the San Pedro News-Pilot, the Santa Monica Outlook, and the largest of of the three, the Torrance Daily Breeze. A highlight of my 14 years at Copley LA came when then publisher Tom Wafer, Jr., referred to my "News from Home" marketing campaign as the best overall marketing campaign he had ever been involved with. I was personally responsible for all aspects of this campaign. When "News from Home" finally wrapped it had been in print, on billboards, buses and cable TV for over two years.

Currently, in addition to Kevin Dobruck Graphic Design, I work for The Salvation Army Western Territory as Art Director for New Frontier Publications. I oversee the layout, design and production of a twice-monthly newspaper called New Frontier and a quarterly magazine entitled Caring.

Be sure to check out my portfolio to see some of the work I've done for various businesses and non-profit organizations.

There you have it. My professional career in a nutshell. Thanks for taking the time to read it.