Rena Ray has many ways to make graphic design work for her customers. She creates invitations and business cards and yearbooks, and has even designed ads for our very own Jewish Link.

With over 15 years of design experience, Ray not only knows how to perfect the image, but also how to make the design work for the customer. In an age where customizing and self-expression are key, Ray is now involving bar and bat mitzvah teens to be part of the creative process. She has found that many children have ideas about what they would like their logo to look like, but understandably do not yet have proficiency in professional design software to create them.

First, the child will sketch out their image and submit it to Ray. Then the two of them will get together on a Zoom session and work through a shared screen to clean up the image, culminating in a high-quality graphic that can be used for the simcha. “Kids love watching the process,” said Ray. “They’re fascinated by the way a few clicks can color one single part of a letter, or how you can change the look of a letter or adjust the precise curves of a shape. When they see what can be done, it opens up their ideas.”

While this is not a course in graphic design, the collaborative process is a partnership and the child’s input and feedback is ongoing in real time. Ray uses Adobe Illustrator to create the logo, and even likes to give clients a preview of design programs Adobe InDesign and Photoshop when there is time. “Even though they can’t do this on their own, the workshop gives these kids a peek into graphic design while also giving them ownership over their look and the process,” explained Ray. “They love seeing how they can make changes on the spot as they begin to understand how it works.”

For more information, or to register for your logo-making workshop contact Rena Ray at [email protected] or 732-690-5038. To view Ray’s portfolio of projects, as well as some of the products of her workshops visit https://cargocollective.com/renaray.

By Jenny Gans