To view Maggie’s BFA Thesis Exhibition, The Re: Campaign, check out our Flickr page.
You’ll also be able to see more photos of his Q&A interview with the department.
Give Maggie a follow on Instagram, at @magshubbard!
Introduce yourself
My name is Maggie Hubbard. I am a BFA student in the Graphic Design program and I’ll be graduating in December (2019).
What type of artist do you consider yourself?
Graphic designer, illustrator, and animator
What got into graphic design?
Honestly the classes here. I came in with a really vague idea of wanting to do studio art and then I found out about the BFA program. I took some classes from Tyler Barnes and he really got me obsessed with typography. Then the rest just followed.
What kind of art inspires you?
I’m super into Swiss design and the Bauhaus movement. I’ve seen their influences on art today. A lot in the art world beyond just visual design is derived from those movements. Specific studios also inspire me. I’m really inspired by this animation studio in London called Moth Studio.
Has any other classes influenced your artwork?
Definitely printmaking. It was a cool way to cross new media with traditional methods. I love poster design so those pieces just came together naturally.
How has the Department fostered your growth as an artist?
It was really cool to be encouraged to take different areas of studio art. I took painting and ceramics and met different professors in areas that I never really considered going into. They taught me a lot that I wouldn’t think to apply in Graphic Design. Philip Jackson taught me how to look at color differently. It was a really well-rounded art education.
What got you into the BFA?
I came in not knowing what was what. I thought I was going to get some general knowledge in art but I’d always been told, “Oh, do Graphic Design, make logos! You’ll make money that way!” But once I took a few art classes and got versed into those programs, thanks to some really great instructors, I saw how I could apply it to the real world. Especially taking internships, really made me realize this is what I wanted to do for a living.
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What type of internships did you have?
I took one here in Oxford, MS with Vaughn Design. That internship really taught me how to use the programs the professionals use in a real-world context rather than class projects. After that, I went to another internship in New York City. That’s where I got into motion. It was a motion graphics startup company called Oddsense. They taught me that you can teach yourself a lot of this stuff too once you’ve formed a foundation, take it and run with it basically. That’s why I decided to incorporate motion graphics into my thesis. From that internship, I grew to love motion graphics.
Any good experiences here in the department?
It’s such a small department but that’s a good thing. I know almost every professor by name and I feel like I can sit down and talk with any of them. All the students I’ve been with for years, and there is this tight knit community. If you’re here late at night working on projects, there is always someone around you’ll know. I really found my people here.
Which professors inspired you the most?
Everyone! Robert Malone taught me so much about drawing. I’m so glad I took that Drawing I foundation. But I’m going to brag on Tyler Barnes. He helped me out a lot. He really got me where I am today in this program. I went to his Visiting Artist lecture back when he was interviewing and got to see his process of going through undergrad to grad school. He inspired me to put in the work for creating my own thesis. I really loved his logo work and branding style, even though I’ve grown from that type of work. He has always been super encouraging of all the directions I’ve wanted to explore and offers good input, “Don’t get stuck in this style too much. Make sure you make it your own, but don’t be afraid to keep changing.” He fosters a lot of growth in his own way.
Have you attended any conferences?
I did! The Graphic Design department since I’ve been here has started GRID which is Getting Rebels Into Design, last year we went to our first big conference together, Crop Con in Baton Rouge, LA. That was really cool because we were one of the only school groups there. We got to see what a lot of young professionals are doing right now in graphic design.
Any plans after graduation?
I would like to go to New York and work with the company I interned with. I’m still ironing out details, but I want to hop straight back into design work.
Any advice for incoming art students?
Definitely come in with an open mind. Take as many intro classes as you need. Spread yourself out over those areas then really take something and run with it. Also, don’t be afraid to incorporate things from other classes into your area of emphasis. Whether you take the BA or BFA track, don’t feel like you’re boxed in. There is still a lot of freedom and creativity to grow.
Could you talk about your BFA Thesis?
I’m doing a campaign for sustainability awareness on campus and the Oxford-Lafayette community. It’s goal is to get people to stop and think about their actions and their impact on the environment whether its local or global. It’s going to incorporate both print and motion graphics. I’ll have some merch as well!
Any more advice?
Don’t be afraid to pick art as your major, despite what people tell you. It is so important. It is everywhere. It’s all up to you to make art as important as you think it is, and people will recognize that based on your effort.
Interviewer: Frank Estrada | Photographer: Olivia Whittington