When the year 2020 ended I decided that I wanted to kickstart my freelance career as a graphic designer, and luckily for me a project just happened to pop up. I was suggested to a client, Wide Angle Marketing and Communications Committee member Sarah Lohnes, who needed collateral for a podcast she was starting called, Who Deserves a Monument? The podcast is about what should be the qualifications for a person to get a monument made in their honor (learn more below). My job as a graphic designer was to create a brand identity and advertisements for the podcast in the form of a cover for Apple Podcast, a banner for Facebook, and social media templates. 

Throughout this project I took tons of inspiration from the careers of a few of the remarkable people whose stories will be told in the podcast. The biggest examples can be found in the social media designs. Half of them were modeled after The Afro newspaper which was published by John H. Murphy Sr. and Carl Murphy, 2 people being profiled in the podcast. The other half were based on the iconic Globe Collection and Press at MICA print design style after I saw an old poster for Carr’s Beach. A beach that was owned by a person being profiled in the podcast, Willie Adams.

As the creator, host and graphic designer of my own podcast titled, The Mustard Cast, this project helped me figure out how to design collateral for Apple podcasts and Facebook. The difference in process when it comes to creating designs for my own podcast vs. others, is only that I have to make something that is pleasing to the clients eyes rather than just my own. That adds a bit of additional difficulty but not very much. If you’re interested in the art of storytelling and how it’s used across mediums such as film, TV, animation, video games and comics, check out The Mustard Cast on Youtube.

This was my first freelance project so I learned plenty of things that I will carry throughout the rest of my career, like how to price my work, manage my time and embed image files. I am currently accepting new clients, so if anyone reading this is in need of design work similar what was previously mentioned please feel free to contact me at Deshaunfortune@gmail.com with the subject line “Freelance Opportunity.”

“I have really enjoyed working with De'Shaun. You can't be fooled by his quiet demeanor. He's incredibly talented and sharp. De'Shaun has gone above and beyond for every deliverable I've asked him to produce, doing his own research to ensure historical accuracy and taking my ideas several steps further (and better). He's a great listener and never misses a point of feedback. You can say it one time and be assured he will address it. He delivers a professional presentation at each check in, which I really appreciate. He added so much to the project that I asked him to stay on as an hourly consultant beyond our initial contract. He's got a bright future.”

– Sarah Lohnes, Wide Angle Marketing and Communications Committee Member & Writer, Editor and Consultant

About the podcast

Confederate monuments are coming down. What goes up in their place? Who really deserves a monument?

Inspired by one Baltimore high school, this podcast investigates the history of Confederate monuments and symbols—and their uncertain future. But mostly, it explores monumental moments through the stories of five unsung African Americans whose courage and cunning dramatically shaped American history.

If you wish you could remember more of what you learned in American history, but hate being bored, this podcast is for you. Walk in the shoes of people who lived and breathed the Fugitive Slave Act, the 15th Amendment, the 19th Amendment, Plessy vs. Ferguson, Brown vs. Board of Education and the Freedom Rides firsthand. Celebrate Black History Month every month with this eight-part series hosted by history translator Sarah Lohnes and featuring living descendants, historians like Martha S. Jones, David Taft Terry, and Melba Joyce Boyd, politicians and artists.

Who Deserves a Monument? is available on Spotify, Apple and Google.

MEET THE AUTHOR

De’Shaun Fortune, born and raised in Baltimore, has been studying graphic design since age 12. Before Graduating from Baltimore Design School, De’Shaun studied graphic design for 7 years including participating in Wide Angle Youth Media's after school Design Team. Now in college majoring in Art and Interactive Media, he is one of Wide Angle's first Design Apprentices with the goal of using the skills he has developed to promote unity and acceptance.