Profile: Heather Schiffke, Cameron Design
Graphic design with nature in mind
Heather Schiffke, the creator of Semiosis Communications visual identity, has four fun jobs: she is a project coordinator and now also a graphic designer at Helfgott Research Institute at National College of Natural Medicine; she is launching her own design studio Cameron Design; and she makes jewelry sold in two states. Heather recently shared her story and design philosophy with me.
Heather’s design philosophy is simple. Know your audience. Consider function before form. Cut out the clutter. Be as direct and clean as possible. “After all, communication is the idea behind design,” Heather said. She’s been told by a graphic designer friend that her work has an elusive quality that ‘can’t be taught’. Underpinning these values is the focus on the sustainable aesthetic: practice sustainable graphic design and work with sustainable organizations.
Heather’s journey with graphic design started in high school when she used to make labels for home-made gifts or bookmarks for herb guides. She gave design no further thought and pursued her interest in natural medicine with a master’s in acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine at the Yo San University in Los Angeles.
Graphic design weaved its way back into her life after graduation in 2002. For two years she practiced acupuncture at Tao of Wellness, a high-profile LA-based practice, where she also designed marketing and promotion materials. Soon she decided research was closer to her heart and she moved to Portland with her partner Patrick and two basset hounds.
In 2004, she joined the administration of the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM). Graphic design returned yet again, this time to stay. As part of her job she managed the development of a new college catalog, witnessing first-hand the process of graphic design creation. That’s when she said to herself, “I can do this, and maybe even better.”
She bought a basic graphic design software package and developed branding for her line of jewelry of the earth (sold at NCNM’s Vis and Qi Bookstore and at Marita’s, a boutique in Monterey, California).
At NCNM’s Helfgott Research Institute, where she coordinates research studies on the connection between diet and inflammation, she took on further graphic design projects: brochures, annual report, ads. Heather’s most recent project is the 2008-2009 NCNM catalog. “Having been a manager for the project four years ago and now being in the role someone else had felt strange,” Heather said. “I’m very happy with the end result and so was the marketing department.”
Earlier this year, I approached Heather to develop my new company’s identity. The Semiosis Communications logo, business collateral, and this website are the result. What’s more, the project spurred the idea to establish her own studio. She has just completed Mercy Corps Northwest’s Individual Development Accounts program, which helps people start up businesses. She’s developing Cameron Design’s brand identity and the new website is launching in January 2009.
(October 2008)
