In late February, I had the opportunity to be the keynote speaker for the Mississippi School Public Relations Association (MSPRA) annual “Nuts & Bolts” conference. It was very inspiring to me to meet public relations professionals from around the state who are telling the story of public education in their communities. They are a smart and creative bunch!

I presented two interactive sessions on the basics of graphic design and branding. I thought I would share some of the presentation slides to start off the week. The Graphic Design 101 session was catered toward non-designers and included tips, tools and examples the conference-goers could use to create more effective print and digital pieces. The branding session included some basics of the concepts of branding and group exercises to help attendees come up with new ways to talk about their school districts. It was fun getting to meet these professionals and witness the creativity they use every day.

The conference was in Jackson, MS, and the team put me up in a beautiful historic hotel. I’ll share some photo views of the surroundings later this week along with some of my impromptu walk through Downtown Jackson after the conference. Have a great Monday!