A Day in the Life of Kerry McDonald
A continuation of our day in the life blog series... Hello, my name is Kerry McDonald. I am one of the co-founders, partners, and art directors at The Sampson House marketing agency. I have lived in Sioux Falls for ten years and currently reside with my partner Jeremy, my son Gavin and our german shepherd, Kylo.
Did you know?
Behind every website, print ad, brochure, digital campaign, infographic, video (the list goes on and on) is an art director bringing the idea to life visually. My day-to-day can be so different. I could be creating a brand identity and choosing which colors and styles are the most effective for a marketing strategy. Overseeing, styling, or photographing a shoot, developing and constructing ad campaigns, or developing potential timelines for how long a campaign may take to create.
Here is a glimpse into a typical day for me:
5:30-8:30 am - Snooze my many alarms a few times. Finally, I get the whole family up and ready for the gym to get in a quick workout. Then hurry back home to get ready for the day (if it's during the school year, I drive Gavin to school, and Kylo will come along for the ride to get his pup cup before going back home to finish getting ready.)
9:00 am - Get to the studio and do a quick run-through of emails and address any asana comments from our team or clients. We love having some clients connected to our asana (project management tool). Having them connected helps with the number of emails we receive and keeps everything housed in one location.
9:30 am - The process of each website we build is different based on the client's needs. As an art director working in tandem with others is essential. Reva (our other art director) and I sat down to ensure that the website's visual style and overall graphic design is compatible with the website's platform.
10:00 am - Put together a layout for an influencer marketing brief for our client, Daylight Wine & Spirits.
11:00 am - Continued working on a stationery suite for a client that includes different envelope sizes, letterhead, business cards, a note card, and an email signature design.
12:00 pm - Walked across the street to Bread & Circus for a lunch meeting with Val (our CEO and creative director) and Tiffany (the marketing manager at Voyage Federal Credit Union).
1:30 pm - Created a custom beer label for our client, Hungry for Truth, for their annual farm-to-fork event. They're collaborating with A Homestead Brew to create a custom beer. It will be a bright and super juicy sour ale brewed with centennial hops, blood oranges, Madagascar vanilla, local honey, and soy milk for a silky finish.
3:00 pm - Brad Rechtenbaugh with Sisson Printing, Inc. stopped by the studio to discuss an upcoming project. We work closely with various printers in the area to ensure that the outcome product is top-notch for our clients.
3:30-5:00 pm - Wrapped up the day by working on blog graphics and a few magazine advertisements.
After work, I typically head home unless I go directly to Gavin's practice or a game. Once home, I must change my clothes as soon as possible into something comfortable. In the summer, you will find me in the garden pulling weeds, watering, and maintaining the plants around the yard.
For the rest of the evening, I'm spending time with my family, either golfing or hitting balls at the range, going on a bike ride, taking Kylo for a walk, or having a drink relaxing in our backyard by the fire.
If you want to see what a typical day looks like for me visually, check out our Day in Life Instagram highlight! Also, check out our other day in the life series with Mikena VanLiere, our account executive, and Jaci Van Essen, TSH’s project manager.
