Afa Akwanka’a: From Cars to spreads, how Harbinger helped me expand my knowledge of Graphic Design

A Porsche 918 Spyder hatchback — the first thing I ever designed at 13 years old and uploaded to Instagram for the world to see. It was my first true piece of work that I was able to call my own. 

Looking back, it’s unpolished and has no sense of realism, but nonetheless, it opened my eyes to the world of graphic design and my passion for it. It allowed me to bridge my love for cars with a new medium: the Adobe suite. 

Over time, my passion for design skyrocketed along with my knowledge of Illustrator and Photoshop. By the time I was a senior, I thought I knew everything I could — until I joined Harbinger.

Joining Harbinger came at an impeccable time for me. I knew I wanted to study graphic design in college and thought I was well-equipped to hold my own at the college level, but my first semester on staff gave me a (much needed) reality check.

I felt like a wide-eyed scared little kid who was entering his first karate lesson. I had no clue where to start and who to ask if I needed help. Sure, I knew how to use Adobe products, but I had no clue how to use InDesign — the program Harbinger uses to design pages. Up until this year, I had only created a single piece in InDesign, a gaming magazine cover in eighth grade that we had made just so our teacher could just tell administrators that we “learned” InDesign.

Having to learn how to use InDesign while getting accustomed to the constant whirlwind of the j-room was a struggle. The first page I created had to be completely scrapped and redesigned by the editors. It was a bit humiliating and definitely a humbling experience. 

However, I realized that if graphic design was truly something I ever wanted to pursue in college, then this class would be a testament to how badly I wanted it.

After a year on staff, I can proudly say that I’m proficient in all three Adobe design softwares. But outside of that, I’ve become more skilled as an overall journalist. Harbinger has rekindled my love for creativity and has opened me up to the idea of several different career options like Sport Illustration, or owning my own Graphic design firm one day.

So if you’re hesitant and not sure you’ll be able to thrive on staff, take that next step. The support system on Harbinger is always reliable, and you will find a medium that you’ll click with.