Graphic Designer and Senior Account Coordinator
Ana’s Professional Life
I began learning graphic design skills in high school (if we’re not counting constantly playing around in Kid Pix and Microsoft Paint as a kid) by taking electives focusing on marketing, photography, and the Adobe Creative Suite. I went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University, focusing heavily on design. You could say I was the “DD” (designated designer) in many of my studio classes.
I had the opportunity to grow my skills as a professional designer by working as a Marketing and Graphic Design Assistant at the Albert J. Kuhn Honors & Scholars Center throughout my undergraduate career. I was able to pursue this due to my involvement in the Architecture, Landscape and City Scholars program. After a short internship at the Neighborhood Design Center to finish out my undergraduate degree, I dove head first into the marketing agency life.
Ana’s Personal Life
When I’m not at work you can find me catching any type of live music – locally or at music festivals. I love to travel with family and friends, or solo, any chance I get. My #FunFact is that I (feel very lucky to) have visited 38 states and 3 continents… Oregon and the Netherlands are probably my favorites!
I serve on the board of a nonprofit – The Parachute People, formerly known as Roochute. Our mission is to create community through play to empower personal well-being. In a normal year, we take and/or send a colorful gym-class parachute to gatherings around the world to engage people in a moment of play – something we kind of forget to take time for as adults. It’s amazing the feedback we get from participants, and the connections people have made because of it. In our off season (and our current off-year … thanks, Covid), we stay connected to our 10k+ community primarily on Instagram.
One of my favorite MJ2 moments was colliding my worlds; my team brought the parachute to do an activation with Lighthouse Behavioral Health Solutions, a client for whom we executed branding, and web design and development a few years ago.
Q&A with Ariana Goffe
What is your favorite thing about working at MJ2?
I love the collaborative environment. Even though everyone has their specific roles, we all contribute in some capacity to the majority of the projects that leave our building. I also love being able to learn about and work for a variety of industries and brands.
What has been your favorite MJ2 project?
This is tough. I love all of the branding projects we do; but the project that came to mind first was a print brochure we recently completed for WEALTHSTONE ADVISORS. We had to complete this project primarily through digital communication due to COVID, and it went incredibly smoothly for how many heads were in on the project. It showed just how well we can adapt as a team to get things done even when we can’t be sitting around the same table.
If you could trade skills for a day with another MJ2 team member, who would it be and why?
Another tough one! I’d love to be able to get inside the head of a web developer – so I’d have to say either Andrew or Jordan. I was always interested in coding growing up and built a mini landing page in eighth grade using HTML (am I saying this right?). It’s such a foreign language to me and I think it’s fascinating watching our web dev team take a design I create and turn it into something actually functional!
How do you stay current in your areas of expertise?
Beyond the plenty of training we do here in the office, I watch design how-to’s and documentaries on YouTube and Netflix, and tune into some podcasts centered around design and creativity. My Instagram feed is flooded with designers from all over the world; so I’m constantly inspired by the work of others and seeing what’s trending.
What are your top 3 favorite Columbus based companies?
Botaniko Naturals
Blue Jackets, Crew, Clippers, or Wild Dogs?
Jackets!!
What is your favorite relaxing activity?
Yoga, spending time by or on the water, and reading.
What are you currently reading?
The Overstory by Richard Powers
What is your motto or personal mantra?
Onward and upward!
How do you take your coffee?
Espresso – simple and to the point! Picked that one up in Europe when I mistakenly ordered “coffee,” which I learned can mean espresso in many areas.
If you were a baseball player, what song would you walk out to?
Let’s Get It Started – Black Eyed Peas
