John Zhu Designs

About Me

I began my career as a writer, then discovered a passion for design midway through college, and I have embraced both crafts ever since. These days, I weave words, visuals, and sound, as well as my knowledge of various distribution platforms, to help my clients effectively tell their stories to their audiences.

I began writing professionally right after I graduated from high school, working as a correspondent for The Herald-Sun newspaper in Durham, North Carolina. I began my design career at The Herald-Sun as well, becoming a full-time designer in its sports department in 2000. While I have changed jobs and even professions over the years, my versatility and my eagerness to continually expand my repertoire have remained my greatest assets. In addition, my decade in newspapers made me very comfortable with tight deadlines and working under pressure.

When I eventually left journalism to pursue other lines of graphic design, my time as a designer for the nonprofit DESTINY Traveling Science Learning Program and the B2B advertising agency Koroberi Inc. gave me invaluable experience and insight into how to effectively design a variety of materials, ranging in size from the etching on a pen to giant tradeshow booth graphics. At the same time, I expanded my skills to include web development and also began taking on freelance projects.

I am currently the assistant director of communications at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, a position that has evolved drastically due in large part to the wide range of skills I brought to the job. I currently provide writing, editing, web and graphic design, and photography services for the School. I also advise the director of communications on many of the technical aspects of Web development and implementation of social media applications.

Outside of my job, I continue to take on freelance projects and maintain several blogs:

In fall 2011, I started the Master of Arts in Technology and Communication program at the UNC School of Journalism, which I expect to complete in 2013.