My name is Harper Hancock, and I am the Design Editor here at The Daily Eastern News.

Last semester I worked for The News as the Multimedia Editor, posting stories to the various social media accounts. I really enjoyed getting to actively see the engagement among students with the numerous stories that I posted.  

This semester, my position has been changed to the Design Editor, which means I will be designing everything from the page layouts for print, to post templates for social media. 

Before this semester, there had never been an editor position solely focused on design. I am ready to see what I can do with the help of my fellow editors and with more emphasis being put on design. 

As a graphic design major, I was hesitant to join the paper because I knew mostly everyone working there would be from the journalism department.

However, after getting my feet wet for one semester, I realized that I was getting experience that I never would have gotten working anywhere else.

I have gotten to use numerous design software, attended daily meetings to help with preparation for the new week, and I have even learned how to use different platforms of social media. 

Being on The Daily Eastern News staff has allowed me to have a better understanding of the amount of effort and time that goes into planning each week’s stories for print and all of the different roles that everybody plays. I am very thankful that I am able to be involved with the design process. 

I chose to work for The News because I wanted an on-campus job that would help prepare me for the design work that I might be doing in the future. So far, I have been very pleased with what this job has provided me with.

Being the Design Editor this semester, I have already learned so much, and I am excited to continue designing. I hope that my work adds to the appeal and engagement of readers throughout the semester. 

Aside from designing, I have loved my time here at Eastern, especially at The News. I have met some amazing and talented people, and I hope that I continue to become more involved with the Eastern community and events.

I am excited to see what the fall semester has in store, and I am certain that it is going to be a good one.  

Harper Hancock can be reached at hahancock2@eiu.edu or 217-581-2812.