Introducing ScrantonMade Designer Samantha Nardelli

In our eyes she’s the most important part of ScrantonMade; she has created all the logos, stickers, banners, avatars, icons and web designs for ScrantonMade. Let’s give her a round of applause folks, introducing Samantha Nardelli of Samantha Nardelli Designs.

Hello Sam!

I see you’re currently enrolled at Marywood University, what are you studying?  

I'm currently in my 5th and final year in the Art Dept for Graphic Design.

What are some of the challenges balancing freelance work while attending school full time?

Depending on what I have going on, it can be very difficult to go to class 4-5 days a week, work a part time job 20+ hours a week, and do freelance work. Then there's the social life thing; I don't have one of those. When it comes to balancing all of that, I find myself usually picking my freelance work over everything. I'm definitely not a role model when it comes to balancing with school. Luckily my professors are real supportive of me trying to make a name for myself and I always keep them informed of my opportunities so it tends to work out.

However, this semester I made the decision to let go of my part time job and go completely freelance. It has only been a couple of weeks but it feels like everything is just working out perfectly! (knock on wood) I always have a million and a half things going on and it’s nice that now I can do more of what I love instead of just trying to fit it in between work days. Now, I don’t even really consider what I do work, it’s just another day. I always look forward to sitting down and designing and coming up with ideas. 

Aside from all the designs you have provided us, what other creative outlets do you pursue?

I'm always testing out new creative ideas and new ways to do old things. A constant that I have is bookmaking. I love the craftsmanship of books, the whole process in general. And I'm always trying to come up with more unique ways of making/designing the covers.
 

I discovered bookmaking when I was sick of looking at all of the scrap papers on my desk from notes and lists. I needed a better way to organize things. I am the most unorganized organized person. It's funny though, even after about 2 years of playing around with bookmaking, I end up not wanting to use the books because I like them so much. So I still use paper scraps for my notes. 

What type of custom services do you provide and where can people find you?

I offer all graphics services and I’m everywhere! Even though I don’t necessarily harness all of the social media that’s out there, I’m still on everything. I’m currently working on a new website for myself. The best ways right now (to contact me) are facebook and email (See below).The biggest thing for me right now is to not say "No, I can't/won't do that." I won't say that I'm heavily proficient in everything I do (yet!), but that is why every job is a learning experience. It’s one more client, one more type of job (whether it's billboards, print jobs, or web jobs). If it's something I've never heard of before or have never tried of before, it doesn’t matter. I'll research the crap out of it until I get it and get it done right. There are a lot of designers out there who specialize in only print media or web design. I like to say I can do both! Plus I just really like trying new things and that’s why I do what I do because it’s constantly evolving and I really feel like design and succeeding in design is limitless.

What do you like most about graphic design?  How long have you been designing?

I love everything about it! I officially started selling products and services in 2010, but I've always been an artistic person. Throughout middle school and high school my big thing was painting and pastels. The more I learn about design and the traditional ways of doing things, the more I realize I can literally do anything I want. It’s so open! I get bored doing the same thing over and over again and I can’t say that I always stick to one thing. (like with book making). And at least right now, I don’t mind changing my style and logo every so often, I like to think it makes me versatile. Maybe one day I’ll find a process I like more than all of them and I’ll stick with that, but I guess we’ll see. : )

What will you be featuring on Scranton Made?  

I haven't screen printed anything in a long time and I keep hearing good feedback about the illustration I created for ScrantonMade so ….Ta Da! Prints. They are going to be 13 x 36 which is an odd, but cool looking size. I am also going to offer a handmade frame option. The part time job I mentioned earlier was a custom framing position. So I also like to build and assemble frames. I’ll also be featuring a new book series I’m working on.

Available for purchase here: http://scrantonmade.bigcartel.com/category/samantha-nardelli-designs

Company Name and website:
Samantha Nardelli Designs
www.SamanthaNardelliDesigns.com

Short Bio:
All things graphic arts.


Favorite Blogs to read:
Design You Trust
Mashable
A Beautiful Mess
I love Typography
Swiss-Miss
PS, I Made This
Computer Arts

Favorite Magazines:
Anything ‘How’ related
Print Magazine
Juxtapoz

Handles:
FB: Samantha Nardelli
Twitter: twitter.com/samanthanardell
Instagram: @samanthanardelli
Pinterest: SamNardelli