This month’s AIGA Maine Member Spotlight features Erin Covey-Smith. We talked to her about work, her life in Maine, and her experience with AIGA.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.
I’m a graphic designer and writer with a fine arts background. I believe in applying creative thinking to all realms to bring out unseen possibilities and potential solutions, with a specific focus on the nonprofit and sustainability sectors.

I spent five years as a freelance designer and illustrator, mostly helping to brand emerging Maine businesses, before joining local media company The SunriseGuide as their communications and design specialist. The latest chapter in my design career is as part of the communications team at UPSTREAM, a national nonprofit focused on innovative solutions to plastic pollution.

What brought you to Maine?
I moved here after completing grad school in Montreal … I was craving open air and the ocean after years of city life but was thrilled to find a similar kind of creative spark, spirit, and ingenuity that I so loved in Montreal.

Why did you join AIGA Maine?
To keep a hand in the design world while I pursue a multi-faceted career; to build community; and to help more Mainers celebrate and be inspired by design.

What is one of your favorite spots in Maine?
∙ All the hidden/tucked away conservation land trails I keep discovering in
the southern midcoast area where I live.
∙ Tandem Coffee
∙ Richard Blanco – not a designer but a poet who contributes greatly to Maine’s cultural life

Follow Erin on LinkedIn and read about her poetry.

AIGA Maine Member Spotlight is a regular series where we highlight one of our members. If you would like to make a suggestion for an upcoming spotlight, please email us at communications@maine.aiga.org.