Get to Know Graphic Designer Andre Cardamone
Bluefield College senior Andre Cardamone may have come to Bluefield College to play sports, but he’s leaving with a passion and proficiency for graphic design.
Originally from Wasco, California, Cardamone came to Bluefield after being recruited to play men’s volleyball for the Rams. Now a senior majoring in graphic communication, he says he was not always actually interested in graphic design.
“When I first came to Bluefield I was an art education major,” Cardamone said. “Then one of my friends, Lex Mocarski, was the one who kind of changed my mind.”
Mocarski was a graphic communication major and encouraged Cardamone to make the switch. He quickly realized that he was very interested in the major, as well, and liked that it paid more than his previous career choice. So Cardamone switched to graphic communication after his freshman year.
“My favorite thing is probably being able to do what I want and to create my own take on things,” he said about the art of graphic design. “When someone sees it and says ‘oh that’s really good,’ it’s like ‘yeah I did that all by hand on the computer.’”
Cardamone says he finds himself sticking to certain fonts and colors for his work, but would not say he has a particular style.
His least favorite part about the job is dealing with some of his clients — not in with dealing with them as a client, but dealing with their choices of design. Their vision, he said, sometimes contradicts what he believes to be the best version of their vision. For example, it can be difficult when his clients ask for colors or a design that he thinks do not go well together. Even so, Cardamone listens to his clients while also helping them pave the way for the final product.
“I do my best to portray what they want,” he said, “but at the same time I like to do what I want because I know what is eclectically pleasing.”
Cardamone says that he has learned a lot throughout his studies at Bluefield College. He has taken classes in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
“At first I was nervous because I did not know what I was doing,” he said. “Now that I am a senior, I know where things are visually.”
Cardamone says that learning the software is the hardest part. He is still learning shortcuts and new ways of creating designs in InDesign.
“I will never be an expert at it,” he said, “and there are always different ways to do things.”
As part of his undergraduate educational experience at Bluefield College, Cardamone has had two internships in graphic design. He has been working for the college’s Office of Marketing and Public Relations as a marketing associate, first under the direction of former PR director Chris Shoemaker and with current PR director Lindsey Akers.
“The more work I can do, the more I learn,” he said.
Cardamone has also been the creative manager for the BC men’s soccer program. In that position, he redesigned the team’s Instagram page; maintained its social media marketing; created highlight videos for players; and redesigned the team’s soccer crest. The position, he added, is perfect considering he prefers working in sports marketing.
After Bluefield College, Cardamone hope to move to Phoenix, AZ, a place he said ranks high in the country for the graphic design profession. He said that grad school is also a possibility after BC.
“If I do go to grad school, it will be (for) a master’s in marketing,” Cardamone said about his tentative future plans. “I like the marketing side, because you can help others get their feet settled.”