Behind the Screen: Janet Guertin, Brand Strategist and Graphic Designer

By Carl Avidano

Behind the Screen: Janet Guertin, Brand Strategist and Graphic Designer

January, 2017|At Avidano Digital, we value our team as much as we value our clients. Their creativity and dedication to quality are evident in every project, and Janet Guertin is no exception.

As a talented graphic designer and book artist, Janet combines practical problem-solving with inimitable artistic sensibility.

Q. What inspired you to become a graphic designer?

A. The short answer would be: my husband Dave. I began college at Savannah College of Art and Design as a computer animation major. I was simply continuing to follow my fascination with 2d animation and special effects; often copying Disney animation art (and logos!) for myself and friends and taking advanced computer courses in high school. In my sophomore year at SCAD, I was struggling with some of the advanced computer programming classes. Dave, my boyfriend at that time, thankfully pointed out that I clearly loved design and the related subsets (logo design, photography, brochures, posters, booklets) of a graphic design path. So in my junior year of college, I switched majors and found myself headed in a direction that encompassed all the elements I loved on their individual merit and continually challenged me to solve visual problems and facilitate clear communication. It was a perfect fit and also played a key role in my journey to the book arts.

Q. What do you enjoy most about working with Avidano Digital?

A. My design career has regularly involved designing for non-profits, so Avidano Digital’s mission-oriented clients seemed like a natural fit. I also greatly appreciate Carl’s efficient and thoughtful approach to projects and have found our respective skill sets allow for a fruitful collaboration.

Q. Your book art is terrific. Which personal project was particularly satisfying for you?

A. Vital Divergences, an artist book I created for an exhibition in Charleston last fall, rises to the surface as a proud moment because of the way the materials, structure, and content eventually came together. From parsing content into a concise narrative, to creating the illustrations, to finding the perfect color gradation of the interior pages, there was a lot of trial and error and very often, the idea seemed doomed! The simple Japanese stab binding and sparse cover with a mica insert contrast with the complex interior that, by using the three planes of a folded sheet, conveys and unites three related ideas that are in-depth subjects in their own right.

Most of my design work is content heavy and not original to me, while the majority of my book art pieces are blank because I do a lot of structure exploration, creating an inventory for my shop, and doing commissions that are objects for others to fill. So having complete control over all aspects of this project and, despite the struggles (or maybe because of them), Vital Divergences met my expectations and that was very satisfying.

Vital Divergences, an artist book created by Janet Guertin
Vital Divergences, an artist book created by Janet Guertin