I was visiting my parents last weekend and found this paper from when I was in 8th grade.  There was a contest for all local schools in the North Shore of Boston to create ads for local businesses. Each kid got a business assigned to them and we were to create an ad, chosen winners got a $100 bond and the ad ran in the paper. According to the paper our teacher taught us basic design principles, including readability, contrast of black and white and simplicity to draw the viewer in.

Well the business I got was The Danvers Butchery, I drew a pig with a Santa hat since it was the holidays of course, contrasting black background with rub-on letters and I got first place! I still have the bond somewhere. I guess my design career started earlier than I thought although I still didn’t know what design actually was until college.