My name is Carrie Gee.  I'm a senior art
director at Time magazine in New York City.
I studied studio art and journalism
at Michigan State University.
The story comes first
then the visual concepts which is either
photo or illustration or type based and
then I create the layout pieces to sort
of go along with that.
I guess I think of myself a sort of a
project manager.  It's my job to obviously
design things.  Finding the best visual
solutions.  I have to keep asking what
else can I add, what else can I add to
elevate stories and really connect with
our readers.  I also know that it's got to
go on the website, they have it in videos.
How can I build something that could be
taken apart and turn into other things?
It's the marriage of everything I've
ever worked for.  The professor's
wouldn't just let me get by.  They set
that bar high and they expected us to
have ideas and then push them.  That
constant editing process I think I
really got that from Michigan State and
that comes through on a daily basis for me.
I love the excitement and the rush
knowing that we're getting stuff to our
readers they need to have.  It seems like
people have a more complicated set of
needs people want more from stories
depending on how they're going to absorb
it what they're going to expect.  My time
at the art school has been so helpful for me
in my career.  Especially, when you have a
story that doesn't have anything and
people come to you and say we need ideas.
Because you already know how to make
something out of nothing you start with
blank canvas in every class.
The challenge is very exciting for me
