At a young age Jacob Castle has always had a fascination with graphic design. When he was 13 years old he designed alternate album covers for his favorite musical artists. He then branched out by creating cool designs for his gamer friends that included avatars and headers. In high school he completed his first major project, which paired his love of design and music by creating album covers. With help from his mom he found an opportunity at Live Oaks, a vocational school in Cincinnati, to take a design class and from there he knew his career path.
As a Northern Kentucky University student majoring in Visual Communications and Graphic Design, Jacob wanted resume-worthy experience outside of college that would provide an opportunity for growth. That’s when Education at Work (EAW) stepped in. His friend Eric Wachendorf, who was already working at EAW as a university ambassador, told him about a student graphic design position at EAW and he decided to apply. “I heard about the hourly wage, plus tuition assistance and thought that would be a great way to help me pay my tuition and decrease my college debt,” says Jacob.
He explains that the opportunities at EAW is giving him the tools and skills to be successful in the professional world. He’s learning first-hand how a designer works within an organization, working as a team player, with budgets and timelines. Jacob has had the chance to expand his portfolio far beyond his college work by working on many diverse projects from billboards, postcards, posters, banners, social media ads, video production, to website updates and that’s just to name a few. He says he’s most proud of his work on the EAW’s website redesign, along with his work on EAW’s 2018 Annual Report brochure. “I wouldn’t be able to gain this experience without the flexibility that EAW provides. They really understand that school comes first, so I’m able to work around my classes,” says Jacob.
Post-graduation in 2020, Jacob plans on working for a design firm where he can learn skills from senior designers and work his way up to creative director. He hopes that this experience will give him the skills to eventually own and manage his own design firm. Jacob is a valuable member of our marketing team and we are lucky to have him!