Ronan Duke-Martin: Designer

Ronan Duke-Martin is a graduating senior who will attend Northeastern University in the fall. Duke-Martin has been on The Cardinal Times for a year and was previously on Beyond The Flock.

While Duke-Martin originally forecasted for a second year on the school magazine, Beyond The Flock, he was instead put into The Cardinal Times where he has found more creative freedom due to the need for graphic designers on the newspaper.

“There’s a lot of room for creativity. Before I came, there was a big role for that open, and it’s been fun and fulfilling to be able to do creative work,” said Duke-Martin.

Duke-Martin has enjoyed being able to apply his art skills to the newspaper by designing coloring pages and other graphics for articles.

“[For] the coloring page, I had to draw in a style I’m not really used to, in a simple cartoon style,” said Duke-Martin. “It was fun, especially hearing the feedback from other people. I think people enjoyed it, so it was invigorating and made me feel good.”

Duke-Martin reflects on his favorite memory with the newspaper and the small moments he saw when the staff was working to get the paper to print.

“Near the end of each publication there’s [always] an emergency, three or four articles cut, and it’s always funny to see people freak out,” said Duke-Martin.

Before he leaves The Cardinal Times, he wants to give some advice to those coming onto the staff, as well as those already on the staff.

“Get your stuff in on time and everyone will like you more and you’ll have a better time,” said Duke-Martin.

Managing print editor Kate Haddon reflects on the role that Duke-Martin has had on the paper.

“Ronan has been a great addition to the staff, he is incredibly talented and he brings so much design expertise to our paper. He has elevated many of our issues by designing larger graphics as well as coloring pages,” said Haddon.

After graduation, Duke-Martin plans to double major in business administration and design with a concentration in marketing psychology. He also plans to go to London and Oakland through the Global Scholars program during his first year.