A Day in the Life: Q+A with Melissa Jackson

In the latest installment of our Columbus Creatives: A Day in the Life series, we talk with Melissa Jackson, designer by day and a teacher by night who enjoys spending time with her family and going to CSCA events! 

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Hi ya! I am Melissa Jackson, I design at Root Insurance by day and teach at Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) by night.

Originally from a small town near Cleveland, I moved to Columbus in the late 90’s. After spending many years downtown in a fantastic loft, my husband Joel and I packed up and now live in a mid-century ranch in Upper Arlington. Our family grew to five with the addition of our kids Tilly (6), Duke (2) and pup Kiley.

Morning

My mornings always start with coffee and podcasts, usually Up First from NPR. Then I walk my daughter to school and head downtown to the Root office. Breakfast is usually on the go from my house, but worst case the office is always stocked with bagels! On my way into the office from the parking garage, I can be found on my phone playing Pokémon Go or Animal Crossing Pocket Camp. Then more coffee as soon as I get to my desk!

Afternoon 

Afternoons at Root start with a catered lunch on the first floor of the office. Then it is time for our creative showdowns where we share our work with the entire creative team. We share feedback and then get back to work making kick-ass work. I will usually throw on a podcast like My Brother, My Brother and Me or Reply All.

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Evening

My evenings are family time, we keep our kids busy with activities like Girl Scouts, crafts, gymnastics and playing dinos. If we go out to eat Northstar Cafe, Tai’s Asian Bistro or Hound Dog’s are top of the list.

Two evenings out of the week I teach a course to Ad/Graph students at CCAD. The class is all about networking, preparing portfolios and taking the students to industry related events. One of my favorite nights is when we go to the Columbus Society of Communication Arts (CSCA) events. As a past president and current board member, I love sharing CSCA with the students. I gain so much inspiration from my students, local events, and my design peers. I am ridiculously lucky!

Follow Melissa! 

Instagram | Behance | LinkedIn