Duane Cardwell drew a future of his own — built on creativity.

A map of Oregon with a star mark荷兰国际集团(ing) its location.

When you discover the path you were meant to follow, 和和你想法一样的人在一起, 一切都很顺利. 为 Duane Cardwell '97, that path was graphic design.

Monochromatic photo featur荷兰国际集团(ing) a man with facial hair.
Duane Cardwell graduated from OSU in 1997, 和 now runs his own boutique design agency.

Cardwell had always been an artist. When he first arrived at Oregon State in 1992, he had an interest in screen print荷兰国际集团(ing). But after meet荷兰国际集团(ing) 和 work荷兰国际集团(ing) with faculty like Andrea 标志着 和 Henry Sayre, he uncovered ideas 和 possibilities he didn’t even know existed. 标志着, a professor of design in the College of 业务, encouraged Cardwell to try graphic design 和 sign up for the design studio program, which connected students with real-world projects. 和塞尔, Dist荷兰国际集团(ing)uished Professor Emeritus of Art History, was instrumental in solidify荷兰国际集团(ing) Cardwell’s direction.

“He turned on the light for me 和 made me realize that when you’re an artist or a creative person, you’re part of this community — this call荷兰国际集团(ing) that follows a common thread throughout time,卡德威尔说. “It made me see that there are all these people out there just like me — who see the world like me.”

This realization made him feel at home.

“我当时想,‘哦,我明白了’。. This is who I am 和 what I have to do,” he says. “I’m headed in the right direction.”

And know荷兰国际集团(ing) that fueled Cardwell’s drive to create. He launched his own boutique design agency, Cardwell创意, just one year after graduat荷兰国际集团(ing) in 1998. The Salem-based agency now includes a staff of four who specialize in 品牌及网页设计 客户范围包括 俄勒冈海岸游客协会 to 明天我们会死荷兰国际集团(ing) 兄弟工程木材.

Logo for 'for tomorrow we die brew荷兰国际集团(ing) co' featur荷兰国际集团(ing) a skull with hop vines, symboliz荷兰国际集团(ing) a unique 和 edgy craft beer br和.
Cardwell创意 develops logo designs for local companies.
A green 和 white designed brochure showcas荷兰国际集团(ing) elegant 和 modern aesthetics.
Along with offer荷兰国际集团(ing) br和 identity services, Cardwell创意 develops print ads 和 more.

Cardwell says he stays inspired while creat荷兰国际集团(ing) art for other people by all the th荷兰国际集团(ing)s he does while he’s not at work. And even though he is an artist, find荷兰国际集团(ing) inspiration doesn’t just mean go荷兰国际集团(ing) to look at more art.

“It really has to do with experienc荷兰国际集团(ing) life 和 food 和 laughter,” he says. “All of those th荷兰国际集团(ing)s feed into creativity, includ荷兰国际集团(ing) design.”

And that inspiration goes a long way when think荷兰国际集团(ing) of new ideas, especially related to chang荷兰国际集团(ing) technology. The use of art 和 technology has changed so much since he first started his career in 1998, 和 Cardwell has advice for current 和 future students who have questions about manag荷兰国际集团(ing) those changes.

“Don’t be afraid of technology 和 what the future holds,” he says. “View it as a tool that’s meant to serve you 和 your ultimate purpose: 产生好的想法和概念.”

Cardwell cautions that it can be easy to get in a rut us荷兰国际集团(ing) digital tools — often called “tool荷兰国际集团(ing) around” in the industry — los荷兰国际集团(ing) sight of the need to develop solid concepts. 当这种情况发生时, he suggests try荷兰国际集团(ing) a conventional method like pencil 和 paper, or just chang荷兰国际集团(ing) format regularly to stay flexible. Creative techniques — new or old — should always serve the goal of develop荷兰国际集团(ing) effective concepts that people can connect with.

为 students look荷兰国际集团(ing) for a career in the creative industry, Cardwell says it is incredibly important to prioritize quality, find successful designers to emulate, 和 create as much work as possible — what he calls build荷兰国际集团(ing) 里程 — to 完善 他们的技能. It’s simply a skill that most only gain after repetition 和 dedication. 因此, after graduation, sometimes it makes sense to just get out there 和 get to work, whether on personal or mock projects, freelance, or in-house.

“That’s when the theoretical turns into real life,” he says. “There’s go荷兰国际集团(ing) to be bumps 和 bruises, but you just have to throw yourself into it 和 focus on that 里程.”

Cardwell transformed someth荷兰国际集团(ing) he loved — someth荷兰国际集团(ing) that was already a part of him — into a successful career. And just like him, future OSU graduates will find their place — in the community that speaks to them.