5. CALL TO ACTION
Karla Stone is director of Strategic Communications at The George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. She oversees a webmaster, an events coordinator, and several interns. She graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Agricultural Journalism, taking one class in graphics in which, she confesses, she made a C. Her first job required rudimentary knowledge of QuarkXPress, which she had from that one graphics class. In that job, she had to teach XPress to a colleague while advancing her own knowledge through self-instruction. Her current job includes responsibility for this 40-page book, an equally large annual report (for which she conceived, researched, and wrote six out of eight essays), public relations, special events, and print. She’s busy.

As evident in the credits listed below, Stone did everything for this book, including taking photos at events and around campus (some generic shots are from a school photography pool). Twice during the design of this book Stone suΩered system crashes that resulted in total loss of the book’s digital file. She rebuilt the book from scratch three times, and she acknowledges the enormous time spent editing the book does negatively impact time spent designing it.

“In a perfect world,” she says, “I would like to spend more time on the book’s creative development, but so much time goes into the editing. I would love to have two extra pairs of eyes to focus on the words so I can put more into the design and production.” For his part, Rick Valicenti points out that the book’s importance is heightened by the school’s mission: To prepare future generations of young men and women to answer the call of public service locally, nationally, and around the world. The school trains its students to become leaders. The book is its main print vehicle used to advance this daunting mission. Valicenti strongly believes the book should be held up to the highest standards of excellence and leadership.

“It doesn’t do a good enough job,” he says. “At the very least, The George Bush School should review communications from their list of Fortune 100 benefactors and aspire to match or better them in every way. It is clear by the list of responsibilities Ms. Stone submitted with her entry form that she needs more resources to accomplish such a goal. What she did, given the human limits of time, energy, and creative resources is remarkable. What the school does to her is shortsighted and sadly abusive. Design and designers deserve enlightened leadership.”

“If the judge has criticisms, I hope he also felt that it stood on its own creative merit,” Stone says later. Perhaps not. At a minimum, she could use a full-time editor and a budget for original artwork. If the resourceful Karla Stone can accomplish this much on her own, imagine what she’d do with a little help. God bless her.