Amanda Blois

I attended Shawsheen Valley Technical High School, where I built the foundations of my career with a strong focus on design and visual communications. After graduating, I applied to several art schools in Boston and ultimately chose the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. At MassArt, I expanded my skills further, learning a great deal about collaboration, developing cohesive systems within design, and applying practical problem‑solving to real projects. During the summer after my sophomore year of college, I worked at Elnk, a company that develops electronic paper display technology. I began there as an intern doing data entry, transferring information from their older system into a new one, and over the course of that summer I gained hands‑on experience using tools and methodologies such as Reliance, Agile workflows, and advanced Excel techniques.

The summer after my junior year, I worked as a graphic design intern for 360 Branding and Communications in Boston, MA. During that time I focused on sharpening my hands-on skills with Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator, gaining practical experience with real-world files and workflows. My responsibilities included conducting targeted stock photography searches, performing design research to support projects, and preparing, packaging, and sending finalized design files to clients.

I received my first real job offer as a junior production artist at EH Publishing after attending MassArt from 2012—2016, where I received a BFA in Graphic Design. There, I made designs and edits for:

• CE Pro

• Commercial Integrator

• LiveSound

• Campus Safety

• ChannelPro

• TechDecisions

• Electronic House

• Security Sales & Integration

• Worship Facilities

• Worship TechDirector

• Peerless Media

• All Things Media

• EH Impact

At EH Media, I assisted two senior designers on magazine layouts for eight different magazines, contributing ideas and executing detailed page designs. My responsibilities also included creating Facebook advertisements, white papers, promotional flyers, business cards, newsletters, and logos for a variety of clients. Toward the end of my time at EH, I took on the opportunity to redesign media kits, improving their visual impact and organization.

I left EH Media in 2018 and accepted a contract position with Curriculum Associates, the creators of i‑Ready—an established online learning program. At Curriculum Associates, I began as a production designer, focusing primarily on print production tasks such as preflighting and sending files to press, as well as creating and revising designs for brochures, flyers, postcards, guides, and similar materials. I was offered a full‑time role just under a year after I started, but was laid off in 2022 and then rehired three months later in a different contract position. Since returning to Curriculum Associates, I have shifted more into design-focused responsibilities and am now working as an associate designer for the company.

Since starting my career, I have made sure to keep passion projects alive and to continually explore new creative outlets. I have designed several logos, created band merch, and produced album artwork, as well as completed hand-painted murals. I began volunteering at Express It Art in Hudson, NH, where I helped teach art to children in my community; those young artists were truly inspiring little souls who rekindled the joy of creativity for me. I teamed up with the owner, Denise Thompson, and some of the kids at Express It Art to paint a mural in the gorilla cage at Benson Park in Hudson, NH, which was a rewarding collaborative experience. I felt moved to experiment with watercolors and went on to illustrate and write a small book called Koi-Fairies. While at Express It Art I also learned to sew, and I started making my own book pillows to sell at craft fairs alongside my children’s book.