Meet Sarah Woodruff
Sarah Woodruff serves Fervor clients as a Graphic Designer/UX. “The root of everything at Fervor is brand impact marketing,” she says. “I love this challenge!” Meet Sarah Woodruff.
At Fervor, Sarah is: Graphic Designer/UX. “I love being able to help clients take ideas, execute them visually and put them out in the market so they can see the impact come back to them. That’s why I love my job!”
How she serves clients: “I’m the visual jack-of-all-trades!” she smiles. Branding, logos, web design, print design, even in-house video and motion design — Sarah enjoys it all. “Everyone is creative in their own way, and I love helping clients translate ideas into the digital space.”
UX, defined: There are many definitions of UX (user experience), Sarah says. “But to me, it means figuring out how your primary users are going to interact with that material and then designing with that person at the center. It’s all about telling a story to that user, and then figuring out how the user will soak up the story and share it with others. That’s the heart of UX design.”
Dipping her toe into design: Sarah’s design education started when she was in high school. “I started playing around with Photoshop, and my brother and I would make random designs on our family computer in the basement,” she recalls. With her design interest sparked, she enrolled in Visual Publishing class in her high school. “That’s where I started to learn a bit of animation and a publication skill set.”
What and where she studied: She enrolled at Kansas State University as an Interior Design major. “It only took me a semester to learn that Interior Design wasn’t for me, but I discovered my love for design through technology instead of the fine arts.” An advisor approached Sarah about a new program soon to launch, called Digital Media. “I was in the guinea pig class, and there were just six of us in this new program. But we learned everything from graphic design and print design, to video editing and sound editing. It was the perfect degree for me.”
Launching her career: After graduating from Kansas State in 2011, Sarah started her MBA. When she accepted a graphic design role at Anthem Media, she relocated to Kansas City and completed her MBA in Marketing and Advertising at University of St. Mary. Her work at Anthem furthered her interest in video and motion design and she went on to explore that interest as a Video and Motion Designer at Lexmark. “I learned so much about video and motion, and also was able to expand my skillset immensely in project planning.”
Her Fervor connection: Sarah had sworn off agency life. But when Fervor creative Josh Eliseuson (who she’d worked with at Anthem) reached out, she was excited about the role. “I was blown away by the impact this agency was having. Hearing Mike’s story and how Fervor has grown into what it is today gave me goosebumps!”
Digs Fervor because: “My work life is so positive because I feel like I’m making an impact,” she smiles. “I’m being challenged here. Everything we do has intentionality and strategy behind it, and we’re getting to the root of what our clients really need.”
Family: Sarah has one sister and two brothers, and she’s the baby of the family. “My closest friends growing up were always my siblings,” she says. She and her siblings grew up on a farm. “That experience taught me work ethic. There is no day off as a farmer! And it also drives my sense of adventure.” Sarah is the proud aunt of three nieces and three nephews all under the age of six, and the nephews are triplets!
Outside Fervor, you’ll find Sarah: Hanging out with her dog, Mardy, who is a miniature American Eskimo Dog. “A lot of things revolve around him, especially taking him for walks!” Sarah enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, Holden, as well as living an active lifestyle, especially mountain biking.
Favorite place for a cup of coffee: McClain’s Market is her go-to near home, and when she’s in the Fervor neighborhood, she loves Goat Hill Coffee & Soda. Sarah’s pick? Lattes — iced or hot.
Favorite place for a beverage test: “I love anyplace with a good patio!” Sarah says. Her patio drink go-to is a cold glass of chardonnay.
Favorite reads: Sarah likes murder mysteries, especially anything by Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn. On the design side, she enjoys Smashing Magazine.
Favorite TV shows: These days, it’s Game of Thrones. But Gilmore Girls will always be her all-time favorite. “I’d get the DVD box set and watch it with my sister and mom, but my brothers always got sucked in too!”
Fervor wouldn’t be Fervor without . . . Sarah’s willingness to take on new challenges: “I will try anything. I’m not afraid to learn new software and new methods to help our clients,” she says.