A Flourishing Future

“One of my professors told me, ‘Maybe not having a style is your style,’” said Maddy Beaulieu, a senior graphic design major.

It wasn’t until her sophomore year of high school that Maddy discovered her first passion. She picked up a job at a local flower shop in Durham, N.H. to earn some extra cash, but ended up falling in love with floral design. This could be it — her future career. She wanted to go to college, but floral design didn’t seem to be offered as a major. Maddy chose Colby-Sawyer and entered undeclared. An epiphany arrived during her introductory graphic design class when Maddy realized her affinity for floral design translated seamlessly to graphic design.

Flowers continue to crop up in her work, featured in a watercolor painting that won second place at the 2018 Juried Student Art Exhibition. Another key theme in Maddy’s work is the combination of her two cultural identities: Korean and American. When she received an assignment to design her own shampoo bottle within a 24-hour span, Maddy decided on a simple design featuring the mock company name “Beaulieu Botanicals,” and the Korean characters for ‘shampoo.’ This is one of Maddy’s favorite designs because, even with a tight timeframe and set guidelines, she still managed to produce something that displays her personal style.

It can be hard for a graphic designer’s personal flair to present itself in a client’s work, especially if the client already has a font and color palette picked out. Being adaptable is an important skill in graphic design, but there still remains a unique touch to each artists’ work. Maddy’s designs are clean, contemporary and modern, utilizing negative space to build focus around the main subject. She admits to being a perfectionist and constantly fixing her work, which means she spends a lot of time on each project — more than most people realize. Maddy believes one of the most common misconceptions about graphic design is how long it takes to create something. She often spends weeks or months on a project until she has the design just right.

“The very first design for any project will never be the same as the final — never,” Maddy assured.

Sometimes her clients don’t understand how time-intensive her work can be, but Maddy works with them to build a mutual understanding. One of her first client jobs was creating a logo for her cousin’s personal fitness company, Wild Active. Last summer, Maddy landed an internship with Revolutions Inc. in Columbus, Ohio, where she focused on magazine and catalog design. Soon after, someone from the sales team commissioned her to design a logo for their daughter’s business. Her clients kept snowballing from there, and she’s currently working for two: an exercise science major on campus who needs help with web and logo design, and a member of the Lake Sunapee Wine Society keen for a club logo.

From floral design enthusiast to sought-after graphic designer, Maddy Beaulieu seems to be finding success within her interest. She has new projects in the works for this year’s Juried Student Art Exhibition (fresh paintings and logos) and feels excited to present her Capstone portfolio consisting of her best work from the past four years. After graduation, Maddy aims to secure a full-time job for a magazine company or marketing firm.

Visit maddybeaulieu.com for more information about Maddy and her work.