Mary Rockwell | Sr. Communications Coordinator

When asked what advice I would give to anyone thinking about being in a creative role in the nonprofit/public health sector, I would have to say: Consider yourself a perpetual student. As a graphic designer with experience in communications, I came into my role as a Communications Coordinator at the Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies (IWES) with no background in public health, just a general interest. The habit I’d formed of prioritizing gaining a deeper understanding before starting on my own work prepared me for stepping into IWES, where I frequently collaborate with high-level professionals working on initiatives such as HIV/STI testing and prevention; programming focusing on resilience, well-being, and mental health; ongoing monitoring and creation of new research studies, models, and evaluation strategies; adolescent reproductive health and advocacy; and maternal and child health. In order to bring the greatest level of support that I can to these projects, I always start off mentally positioning myself as someone with an opportunity for growth and potential knowledge, with the end goal of producing creative work that reflects the deeper understanding I’ve gained. At IWES, I knew that I was stepping into an organization of people with years of experience in and a great deal of knowledge of their work, and I felt extremely fortunate for the opportunity to be able to support it. 

Through years of freelance designing, I learned to fully dive into projects and collect as much detail and understanding as possible from my collaborators, dipping into the worlds of authors, students, landscapers, chefs, and even flower farmers. It was fascinating for me to be introduced to fields of which I held no previous knowledge or experience. Whether I was learning about what produce is grown locally for a farmers market flyer, what color scheme works best to reflect a studio based in the woods, or how to balance a design for a childrens’ art program to be both playful and easy to read, I always made it a point to gather information from those closest to the work to make sure that I am able to most accurately reflect it.

Throwing together a design that will be generally pleasing is one thing, but creating a graphic or verbiage that is effective for a specific audience is a different task. IWES has multiple audiences – from young people to adults, students to teachers, creatives to doctors — with a range of lived experiences across all of them. This is precisely when the challenge of design escalates into learning as much from your collaborators as possible in order to create a deliverable that is not only visually interesting but hits the mark in a more conceptual and comprehensive manner. There are a number of details to consider when creating communication materials: audience, topic, context, medium, and shelf-life are just a few. No matter the project at hand, I listen to my coworkers and try to make their vision a reality using my creative skills. A recent example is when I was working on a discussion guide for New Nickels, an IWES documentary that explores the healing journeys of five Black women living with HIV in the Southern United States, all of whom participated in our “Out of the Shadows/Into The Light” program. Initially, I felt intimidated by the amount of information we needed to include in the 36-page guide. However, after discussing with my coworkers the audiences that the guide was intended for (Black women living with HIV, clinic leaders, and providers) and how it will be used (digital and print), I was encouraged and excited to organize the information in a way that hopefully makes the guide accessible and helpful to all who view it. 

Something that I also believe — and that has been wonderful to see, particularly at IWES — is that everyone, in some way or another, is creative. And learning from others’ creativity, even if it isn’t in a visual form, is so inspiring. Simply having a coworker (or client) paint me a picture of what they’d like to see just with their words guides me in a way that is extremely helpful. And at IWES, I have also seen teammates across departments send in visual work and designs that are incredibly lovely and creative. 

I have worked in the creative field for many years and have encountered such amazing ideas from all collaborators and clients. It is, I think, passion that brings creativity. And the team at IWES is never short on passion for what we do, which makes my job even more fun and fulfilling.