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Meet the team Monday – Laura Thompson

It’s meet the team Monday again, and today’s staffer is Laura Thompson, Art Director at IDY. I don’t even know where to start with with this multi-talented and sassy beauty. Laura came to us as a graphic artist intern from Mississippi College several years ago. Relegated to designing ads and business forms, she finally got a chance to shine when she was asked to create a new look for our wedding guide. Soon after, she came to a creative meeting with a folder full of ideas that she had prepared from concept to execution. To say we were impressed would be an understatement. We realized how special she was, and offered her a post-college, full-time position six months before she even graduated. Laura’s evolution from intern, to designer, to art director has been exciting to watch, and we can not wait to see what new ideas she comes up with for each edition.

Laura is responsible for the design and the creative ideas in the magazine, our overall brand, and managing the look of the styled shoots included in each edition. Bringing those ideas to life and translating them to the printed page is a special skill, especially under the deadlines associated with producing a magazine the size of I Do Y’all, and Laura makes it seem effortless. She is so talented and has been with us for so long, we often forget that she is still in her early twenties. Not only is she a skilled designer and creative force, she is too much fun, has a razor sharp wit, is super competitive, (Don’t ever take her bowling unless you enjoy losing badly) and yes, she is drop dead gorgeous too. We’d hate her if we didn’t love her so much.

Name: Laura Thompson

Job Title: Art Director

Career path: Art Editor for College Magazine then interned here in 2016 and just stuck around J

School:  Mississippi College 2017 – Graphic Design, B.S.

Hometown: Brandon, MS

Share a bit about your family. My parents just celebrated their 30th anniversary with a trip to Mexico. They’ve always supported my dreams and encouraged my love for art. My mom always says she raised me to be independent and may have done that a little too well.

I have two very smart younger brothers. Jackson, 20, goes to MC and is getting his bachelor’s in Computer Science. John Neil, 15, is in high school and spends his days playing basketball and designing intricate worlds on Minecraft.

What is your favorite part of your job and what memories stand out about your experience here? My favorite part of my job is the creative freedom I have and working in the fashion and design world. Whether I’m on set for a photo shoot or creating the book, seeing my vision come together is so fulfilling. Becoming friends with like-minded professionals is a perk I didn’t know would come with the job. Surrounding yourself with creatives is crucial to staying relevant in the ever-changing wedding and fashion market.

I’m so blessed to have co-workers that have grown to be some of my good friends, past and present. When we get to travel together for shoots and shows, it makes it that much more fun!

What wedding pros do you love – blogs, magazines, vendors, etc.? I Do Y’all of course J. I know how much our team puts into our content to give our readers the best inspiration to pull from. Similar color palettes, design trends, and stylistic elements all make an appearance, no matter what field you are talking about. With this in mind, I try to look outside the wedding bubble to make sure our look and style is keeping on trend and pushing the boundaries of what we see everyday. I personally find myself looking to fashion magazines like Vogue for design and content inspiration. The Magnolia Journal, created by Joanna Gaines, is also one of my favorite publications. There’s always a crossover in the creative world regardless of the subject matter.

Sum up your own wedding for us (or your dream wedding). You know, people ask me this all the time. Since I work for a wedding magazine I should know this right? I see so many trends everyday that I love. My style leans more towards bold & romantic. Everyone always says that my wedding will be the most non-traditional affair, and they’re probably right. My Pinterest board is filled with blue wedding gowns and antique ring settings, painted wedding cakes and neon signs. The décor, the flowers, the venue, won’t matter as much as long as I have the people around me that I love I’ll be happy. In the end, that’s what matters.

What are your hobbies and or things you are passionate about? I live for a good thrift store. Finding a new use or home for an old piece of furniture is one of my favorite things to do. Dabbling in calligraphy is always something I’ve enjoyed doing. It started off as taking very colorful notes in high school, to watching videos of people writing, to figuring it out how to do it myself. Painting illustrations using ProCreate is another little hobby of mine.

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