A look into the journey of a graphic designer 

Boston is a big city with many businesses, universities, and events, making it a perfect environment for graphic designers. Graphic design is a form of art used to communicate ideas using visual compositions. Multiple forms of graphic design exist that require different techniques and skills, which makes this a career where there is constant room for improvement or challenges. This is perfect for the upcoming generation of designers like Zanique Horton-Durrette who is a young, Black, and passionate artist based in Boston.

Born into a family of artists, Horton-Durrette was inspired by the drawings of her family to pursue a future in art. Growing up, she was labeled the “artsy kid” in school, which pushed her even more to get into drawing. As a teen she made up her own characters, which many people pointed out had a unique style that they would recognize was hers. When she was looking at her options for college, she realized “I don’t want to do anything else but art.” The reason she chose graphic design specifically out of all the other art forms was that, with graphic design, she actually sees her art being used in the real world. “There are a lot of possibilities,” Horton-Durette  said of graphic design. “It’s a very umbrella-like type of art. So it just feels very open and free to see my work being used purposefully.” She is a rising sophomore at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, more widely known as MassArt, which is the nation’s first independent public arts college. MassArt is known for its enriching programs and the access it gives to its students to help prepare them for a future in the arts. Her degree will be very useful in helping her improve her skills and artistic instincts.

Simultaneously with attending this prestigious college, Horton-Durette works as a mentor at Artists For Humanity (AFH), where she was previously a teen employee. As a teen, she decided to apply to AFH by chance. At the time she applied, there wasn’t a spot for her, but then COVID hit, and the graphic design department needed people who already had iPads so they could work remotely. From there, she “happened to just stay because I liked it so much there.” She spent her time at AFH creating art and connecting with the business community to make a profit from her work. 

Horton-Durrette describes AFH as a place where everyone is treated like family and made to feel comfortable stepping out of their comfort zones “I just love being here, and I feel like anyone else can attest to that. It’s just a really great place to be, and most mentors are alumni because they just never left. That’s how fun it is here.” Aside from having a supportive and joyful community there, she also improved her design skills a lot. Without the support of her mentors, she would have never learned how to use Adobe Suite, which is a popular programming tool that is used by many graphic designers. She admits the help of mentors “made my work incredibly better.” Though she came into the program with pretty decent skills in art and design, she learned more about composition, color, layouts, and many more technical aspects of the work.

In her future as an artist, Horton-Durrette wants to become someone who is relied on by others to communicate their ideas. “I want to help small companies get their start-ups or small black-owned businesses advertise their services and help them get out there.” This goal is something she could see herself accomplishing because she has the passion and the skills. Behind the scenes, she works with mentors at AFH to learn how to better interact with clients and produce the product they want. “If they say we want these blue buildings, I’ll do blue buildings.” This is an important skill in building professionalism that most people don’t think of when thinking about graphic design, especially when you’re doing it on commission. The lack of freedom in what to do can be a bit difficult to come to terms with as an artist, but Horton-Durrette does it either way. These realistic experiences also made her realize this was more than just a job she had as a teenager. “I feel like I’m genuinely a graphic designer. I didn’t feel like I was just some intern.”

Horton-Durette plans on taking her skills in graphic design further and getting better at using popular software to keep up with trends. Just like any other artist, she also struggles with artist’s block, but she has come up with a way for her to get through it. “I usually overcome that by doing art challenges that are very popular online, and it doesn’t have to be graphic design related.” The level of maturity she has is clear because she has found a process that works for her, which shows she has come a long way from being a teen artist to now being an adult with the ability to do so much more. Horton-Durrette’s creative process is the perfect combination of professional and realistic, which could take her very far in her graphic design career.