Cynthia Faber Smith
| Cynthia Faber Smith has been designing publications for diverse audiences for more than 20 years, including positions at Science magazine, Insight magazine, The Executive Office of the President of the United States, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Cindy earned an MFA from Vermont College, a BA from my very own alma mater, Furman University (Go Paladins!), and a publication specialist certificate from George Washington University. Cindy’s a (South) Carolina girl, just like me. We have so much in common, you’d think we grew up together. In fact, we practically did, just a couple of years apart and a few miles down the road from each other. I met her at the Highlights Foundation Conference at Chautauqua in 2005 and recognized that Southern drawl as my own. More recently, Cindy has become famous across all of Honesdale for her blue-ribbon wins at the Wayne County Fair, for Sour Cherry preserves, pickled beans, and a knitted shawl. She’s currently perfecting her chocolate cake recipe for this year’s competition. Watch out, Wayne County! Cindy’s got a golden touch with whatever she sets her hand to. She’s gonna be a contendah! |
Tell us a little about how you came to be the art director at Highlights for Children.
The Highlights editorial offices are located in Honesdale, PA, a very small town in NE PA. Just so happens one of my oldest and dearest friends grew up in Honesdale. She moved back a few years ago, heard HFC was looking for an Art Director and thought I might be interested in applying. I was, I did, and it still blows my mind that I got the job.
Take us through your typical day at work.
I start the day as most people do, drinking a cup of coffee while I check my email. My emails are usually illustration sketches so I print out a batch, get them off to the editors, and then review what I have to do that day. I make lists sometimes when I need to feel organized. Otherwise, I tend to do first what I feel most like doing. Sometimes, I feel like designing. Other times, I'm hot to find a new illustrator and I'll start combing through resources. I'm competitive with myself and will set a challenge to accomplish three designs or 10 assignments, etc... It may sound silly but it's my form of play at work. I'm really happy when I beat myself at my own game! Mixed in with all this fun are corrections to pages and giving art direction to illustrators for revisions or solving some other little problems. Sometimes the little problems take my entire day and then I'm not very happy.
What is your submissions process? Do artists send samples or finished work?
With few exceptions, all the illustrations in Highlights are commissioned to accompany specific text.
You work in conjunction with the editors who choose the content of the magazine. As far as the art is concerned, which comes first? Do the editors choose the content and you later choose the artist to develop something to go along with the content or do you ever choose the artist first and then try to find the content that might fit their style?
The former. A big part of my job is selecting the appropriate artist for the tone of the content.
The look of Highlights has changed since you took the reigns of art director. What went into making the decisions to change the look and have you received much feedback from your readers? (We love the new look, by the way!)
I've been with Highlights for about three years. Shortly before my hire, Highlights recognized that they needed to review and renew Highlights from top to bottom. There were no "sacred cows" as my Editor-in-Chief, Chris Clark, puts it. Everything was examined for appeal and appropriateness. I was lucky to come into that process just as people were anxious to put a redesign into full-gear. I love the process of redesign and have had a career full of working on various redesigns. It was a love match. We tried to examine the magazine without being too tied to what had been done in the past but also without losing our unique Highlights "DNA." We approached the redesign as EVolutionary, not REVolutionary. Every few months you could see some refinement rather than having one particular issue launch a new look/approach. The redesign wasn't just about the look, there were also changes in kinds of features and word counts for stories, as well as a general refresh on what we wanted our content to be and a refinement of our target audience. There was some great news coverage of our 60th anniversary and the printing of our billionth copy in August 2006. Coupled with that PR was some discussion about the new look and where we see ourselves in today's marketplace. In general, the response has been lovingly favorable.
Chris and Kent Johnson, our CEO, both emphasize that our goal from day one has always been to "help kid's become their best selves." The redesign was a retooling to make sure we were still compelling to today's kids in order to continue to achieve that goal. The public has applauded that. Of course, some people just don't like change and we've received those letters, too, mainly came from adults who want to "preserve" Highlights so it always looks as it did when they were children.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
The variety, I love working with such a broad range of topics and possibilities. I used to work for The White House. Everything I designed had to be navy blue with the Presidential seal on it. I once used burgundy and although the design was approved and printed, I was told later, "We don't do that here." Ever since that job, I have sought and thrived on variety in my work.
What is your favorite section of the magazine?
I've never thought about that before. Usually, the greatest challenge ends up being what I enjoy the most because there's such a sense of accomplishment when I get it to work. Of course, you wouldn't know that by the sound effects coming from my office! ARGHHHH......
What catches your eye in an art sample? What kind of work do you not receive enough of at Highlights?
I love seeing a unique style and I don't see enough unique work. Too many illustrators have the same look and that's a huge problem in children's illustration.
What sorts of things do you do when you're not art directing?
I walk every day during my lunch hour and often again after work. For the last few years, I've been on a mission to learn to cook well so I try a new recipe or two each week. In the summer, I love to garden both in my garden
(flowers) and a friend's family garden (food). I usually "put up" lots of veggies and jams.
Do you write/illustrate/submit your own work, either at Highlights or any other publisher?
I have an MFA in creative writing but my writing is for adults. My MFA was one of those self-challenges in my life and not intended as a possible career. I do a few graphic treatments in the magazine but any other art I do is fine art, not illustration. I'm now planning a painting series that I hope to start in the Spring...another challenge.
A list of your Favorites. You know, favorite book, favorite place, favorite cartoon character, etc:
Favorites are hard for me. I like everything, but I don't particularly like any cartoon characters. They are always getting into trouble and that's stressful to watch because you just know that ACME anvil is going to squash them.
