Five on Friday

Featuring Donnie Johnson, director of graphic design

1. How did you become interested in graphic design?
I was first drawn to graphic design through my participation on the high school yearbook staff. I loved the end product after a year’s worth of work. The satisfaction of creating a book that would preserve so many good memories seemed like a great career to live out my life.

2. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always thought being an architect would be a cool job. Even up to the time of choosing a college major, architecture was at the top of the list. But for some reason that extra year of a five-year degree seemed like an eternity to me at the age of 18.

3. What's the best part about having your son, Logan, on campus as a student?
As a dad, it’s probably the first time in my life that I know more about what’s going on in Logan’s day than his mom does. He stops by my office in between classes a couple times a week. It’s fun being in the loop for a change.

4. You won the marketing office’s fitness challenge last year (trophy pictured above). What’s your favorite way to work out?
If there’s an awesome trophy to be won, I usually go for some type of cardio equipment like a treadmill or an elliptical machine. Then I can listen to a fast-moving music playlist to keep me motivated and help the workout go quickly.

5. What's the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon?
Saturday’s are my day to catch up on things around the house, like yard work and washing the car. It’s also a good day to tackle repair projects. Somehow simple do-it-yourself projects always end up taking me hours and hours after several trips to the hardware store. If I can get through everything on my to-do list on a Saturday, the rest of the week is a breeze.