The Civil Service Council will feature a Civil Service employee at Illinois State University each month to highlight an exceptional colleague and the outstanding work being done on campus. This month, learn about and applaud University Marketing and Communications graphic designer, Sean Thornton.

What is your position on campus, and how long have you been with the University?

I am a graphic designer in University Marketing and Communications, and the design director for Redbird Impact magazine. I have been with the University for 13 years as of this April. I am also an alum of the University, having received my bachelor’s degree in 2000, a Master of Communication in 2017 and a Master of Creative Technology in 2022. So, I’ve been around awhile.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

Working on projects like Redbird Impact and marketing for ReggieCon, I have had the opportunity to highlight the altruistic endeavors undertaken by many incredible people around campus. Being able to have some small part in raising those voices up and spreading messages of the impactful and meaningful work done in and around the University, as well as across the globe, by campus members is the best part of my job. It is humbling to work at an institution with so many incredibly talented and passionate individuals, and I am happy to have the chance to belong to such a community.

What are your hobbies or favorite pastimes?

Drawing is what I have always gravitated to as a hobby, as an escape and creative outlet. I’m lucky enough to have a job that I can combine my passion with my work. I also love spending time with my family, hiking when weather permits or being cozy at home. I’m a big gaming and comic book fan. We’re also big rugby fans in our house, rooting for the Chicago Hounds locally and the New Zealand All Blacks globally. My eldest daughter and I have also taken up boxing which has been very challenging and rewarding. And I’ve also apparently taken a liking to continued education and collecting degrees.

What else would you like others to know about you or your time at ISU?

Having access to the university as an employee you have an incredible opportunity to challenge yourself to rise to new levels of achievement. I have greatly appreciated having that chance while working at the university and am excited to see what new opportunities lay ahead.

More about Thornton from Dave Jorgensen, assistant director:

I’ve worked with Sean ever since he started with us at University Marketing and Communications about 13 years ago. He’s consistently been a team player with the designers by providing feedback when asked, helping others when needed, and offering his unique insight. 

Sean possesses many talents in his creative arsenal and is certainly a valuable asset to the team. His designs are thoughtful and well organized, his works typically strays from easiest/fastest solution, and he is always willing to employ his secret weapon: his illustration work. On the appropriate jobs with time permitting, Sean has proven to be a talented illustrator. His illustrations excel for conceptual work where a photo or stock art cannot suffice, and for creating custom icons that highlight different categories of information.

Sean is a good communicator within UMC and with his campus clients. He works well during the start-up for a job with his clients to ensure an understating of the project’s direction and keeping in touch with those involved during the various stages through the job’s completion. He’s easy to get along with and puts new clients at ease and with confidence on their jobs while maintaining on-going relationships. 

Sean works well with organizing his time; he can switch gears for the occasional priority rush job; he keeps an eye on projects falling behind schedule; and reaches out if he’s waiting on a reply that’s delaying a job. In addition, he’s continually proven to be successful at managing his time to pursue (yet another) advanced degree in higher education!