My ad design experience started way back when I was 20 years old, almost 15 years ago. I was working in the data entry department of a lead generation company. I had just begun college for graphic design but hadn’t actually done much design work, professional that is, yet. I had gone my first year and a half majoring in Business before withdrawing (in WV) and moving to Florida. When I re-enrolled I switched majors to Graphic Design.

When the owner of the company I worked for stopped by my desk and asked me if I knew how to do magazine page layouts in InDesign, I said, “Yes!”. I didn’t actually know how at that time, but knew I could figure it out. Fast forward a bit, and I spent the next 13 years designing and laying out pages for monthly publications of magazines like Elle Decor, Metropolitan Home, Home, National Geographic Adventure and National Geographic Traveler.

I always get excited when a request comes in for ads or page layouts for magazines, since it’s sort of where my print design experience all started.

When I received the request from Kurtz Homes for a new ad in Home Magazine, I was excited to get to work and showcase their beautiful homes and their legacy of building quality custom homes for generations.

You can see all of the options I gave them in this portfolio post. The final winner was the ad pictured below.

kurtz homes ad design