Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Dunigan.
Hi Joy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always been an artist at heart, and I don’t think I ever thought or imagined being anything else but. I come from a family that is quite artistically inclined. My dad was a photographer and filmmaker. My sister is a brilliant photographer. My brother is an extraordinary illustrator. My grandfather and great-grandmother painted, so I think the arts really came naturally to me.
As a teenager, when I wasn’t in school, I used to stay locked up in my room listening to music, reading fashion magazines, indulging in art books, drawing, and creating. I allowed these very things to influence me as a young artist.
I initially went to college to study fashion illustration, but some core curriculum classes made me realize that what I really loved to do was graphic design. I did really well in those classes, and I loved doing it, so I pursued that line of work instead. In hindsight, looking back to my 13-year old self and the type of things I was creating at that time, I was a graphic designer long before I ever knew what graphic design was.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t know that I would say it has been entirely smooth, but certainly not unfortunate either. When the time comes to make decisions that potentially impact and guide one’s professional future, that can be really difficult and quite challenging.
I feel I have been very, very lucky. I get to do what I love to do every day, and I get to work with some of the best clients in the world, who are just as driven and passionate about what they do, as I am about what I do. It’s what makes every project great. I look for those kinds of opportunities all the time.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
After graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design, I immediately went to work for Longwater & Company, an advertising agency here in Savannah for about 5 years. With my increasing interest in new media and websites, I then went to work at Gulfstream within its marketing department. I thought it would be an interesting transition professionally. I started with a small agency that serviced large companies, and now I was going to work for a big company that was serviced by a small, local agency.
Before long, I had moved on from building and designing websites at Gulfstream to being on a small internal marketing team that was tasked with rebranding every facet of the company — everything — the logo, advertising campaign, sales and marketing brochures, nomenclature on the planes, etc. The work was endless but very rewarding and I learned a lot in that process.
The next natural step for me was to start my own design practice — JOY Marketing. That was over 18 years ago and we are still going strong. Since opening, I have created and developed identities, and branding packages for high-performance yacht racing companies and organizations all over the world. Most notably, and recently I re-branded the Georgia Ports. I was so proud to work on that project as I have been involved with marketing our ports for more than 20 years.
Lately, I have diversified my artistic efforts and have gotten back to my roots working as a fine artist. Being a very artistically inclined person and wanting to get back to basics, this was about balancing out the pressure-driven business side of being an artist and challenging myself to work in a way where there are absolutely no boundaries. I’ve been doing this as time allows for the past 10 years or so, and I look forward to doing more in the future.
I have been slowly but surely growing my strengths in a completely different way showcasing works in select galleries in Savannah. I have participated in several groups shows at the Location Gallery, because I think what they do and how they do it is very, very special.
In December 2020, I became a member of the Kobo Gallery Artist Cooperative. That has actually been really great. It’s a lot of fun and it’s wonderful to be featured alongside so many talented Savannah-based artists.
I also own the Photopoint Gallery in Richmond Hill, Ga. It is dedicated to showcasing high-quality, working local artists. We are going on our seventh year of hosting the Holiday Artist Collective. It is our largest show of the year.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
As early as possible in life, discover what it is that you love to do, and if you are good at it, work hard to make the most of it. Pursue it as if it were a calling.
Before starting my own business, I knew it was going to be hard, but I never realized how hard. It’s not for everyone this I am sure of. I encourage everyone to surround themselves with people willing to go the distance and are people you can trust. This specifically will keep you going through thick and thin.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.joydunigan.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joydunigan/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joyduniganartist
