Final Mag single by Erin Pazour

An inside look with STC’s

Carmen Landhuis

A claw-some interview with Cattitude Cafe’s

Six items for a cozy night in Sara Wendlandt

Read a little about the Author and see how her story began.

06 12

Cozy Night

Essential items everyone needs for a warm night inside.

Learn some helpful tricks of the trade with professional Graphic Designer

Learn the ins and outs of the Cattitude Cafe and their furry friends with

STOP cavities before they start

anti-gingivitis fresh breath whitening enamel plaque

Hello, and thank you for reading! This is my first time creating a magazine, so I hope you enjoy. The purpose of my magazine is to show, enlighten, and inspire those who read these pages about the industry of design. Design can be used in so many ways. In my opinion, it is the most important universal form of communication. It is creative, inspiring, expressive, informative, and ever changing. It can be straight to the point, or take you on an emotional journey. It could be subtle, or bold and in your face.

Design is all around us. In the shows and movies you watch, the clothes you wear, the books you read, in every advertisement you see, on the front of every store you go into, and even in the apps you use. Especially now that technology and artificial intelligence has advanced at an incredible pace. So much so, that it almost threatens the world of designers, I believe that

is what makes being a designer and artist quite difficult at times.

There are so many people trying to achieve the same goal. Designers have a lot of pressure put upon them to work hard. To separate themselves from the competition and think outside the box, or, potentially risk being replaced by another artist or AI, so, I decided to center my magazine around someone who was able to achieve a successful career as a graphic designer.

Soft Plushie

A soft animal plushie is always the best cuddle buddy.

Some good movies

Romantic comedies, like “How to lose a guy in 10 days” and “Mama Mia” are a good choice for a night in-doors.

A Mug

Hot Cocoa always tastes better, when drinking it from your favorite mug.

Soft socks

Cold days are always more fun, when wearing fluffy animal socks.

A cozy blanket

No night-in is complete without a warm blanket.

Hot Coco

Swiss Miss hot cocoa, is the best choice when picking a warm beverage.

Isa graduate of Southeast Technical College, and works there as one of their graphic designers. Her inspiration to become a designer came from attending web design and Photoshop classes in high school. She got her start in the field with a job at Argus Leader and worked there for four years as a prepress technician. She then moved to magazine publishing and worked for a handful of publishing companies. She did lots of layouts, design, and advertising. She worked with carsforsale.com for eight years and got into design. She is a dabbler when it comes to design and works with it all. She even created the prototype template for webkit.com.

Carmen Lanhuis

Southeast Tech Graphic Designer

How did you get your start in the field?

Once I graduated, I started a job at the Argus Leader for about four years. Worked three to midnight as a pre-press technician, and did a lot of pre-press production. I checked all the ADs and newspaper layout designs. I laid out everything to see if there were any last-minute changes to be done for ADs that the salesmen would bring in, there were always last-minute changes when it came to either a story or an AD. I made sure it was all ready to go before it was printed on the plates and went to press. “Stop the press” was an actual thing then, that was always an exciting time. There were also times when you did have to stop your whole life to make things happen.

So, I got to experience all those things in the print world. Then, I moved into magazine publishing. I worked for a handful of different magazines and got more into layouts and designs for advertising. I did one-onone with sales reps and got to do the creative part of it. Making the layouts for ADs stand out. The cool thing about

magazine publishing is that we all had our own publications that we would work on, start to finish. From laying out the stories and ADs to designing the ADs, and making changes, to contacting the sales reps, to contacting the customers. You kind of did it all. After that, I went to Carsforsale.com and worked there for about eight years, and got into web design. So, I was kind of a dabbler in it all. I did all sorts of things in that field.

I started off doing the basic web design, layouts, and coding, and in the end I created the prototype template for webit.com. Honestly, I gained so much experience with web design, all the way up to the start of responsiveness.

I got to see the evolution of web design. Then mobile-friendly became quite the thing, and that’s where I feel like the the evolution of design came and changed it all. From selling and marketing to changing to social media. It opened up so many doors in so many ways.

What were some challenges you faced getting into the field?

Starting out is hard because you are fresh. You don’t have that experience. So you have to be willing to work from the ground up. Take those jobs that most people may not want. Everybody wants the big job at first, but to get that job, you have to get that experience, and the experience is what will get you the job.

How did you overcome those challenges?

Ithink when I got my first job at Argus. I honestly, was willing to learn from anybody and everybody who was willing to teach me something. There were so many people that I worked with there who had so much knowledge. Whether it was the editors who were writing, to the prepress technicians.

Those are the guys who change the plates for color. Or the photographers that were color correcting. Even the managers there. They all had this knowledge that I didn’t, so anytime you had a conversation with someone, you had stuff to learn.

I am a person that likes to learn everything and I like to have conversations. I’m like a sponge, I want to soak all that knowledge in.

Carmen Landhuis going through one of the magazines she created

“You have to be willing to work from the ground up and take on those jobs no one else wants”

“Get the experience, and the experience is what will get you the job”

“Never limit yourself to one area. Always be a dabbler in everything”

What is your opinion on the ever changing world of design?

Iguess my opinion is that it will keep evolving. I think design is everywhere that you look. Whether it’s the design on glassware, the pattern on a plate, on a beach towel, or the fabric of your curtains. I think, when you look around, it is literally on everything.

The shirt you’re wearing, to the websites you look at. I feel that design is all around us. So it just comes down to where you want to take it, and how you want to be involved with it.

What would you say is your greatest weakness and strength?

Iwould say my greatest weakness and strength are probably the exact same thing. I’m extremely persistent and I strive for perfection and I don’t give up. So, whether it’s an idea or creative vision or maybe an opinion, or I see something that needs changing on the design.

I sometimes can’t let that go and I have to keep fixing it. So I would say that’s Kind of a strength and a weakness all in one. You are your biggest critic. When I’m working on something, sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s OK, Not everything has to be perfect.

Because in art, there’s always more to be done, there’s always more that you want to do, and you just can’t always do everything and all of it and still get the job done.

Can you walk me through your creative process?

Iknow a lot of people like to draw and sketch. I will do that on some projects, but I’m not a person that sketches out every layout and design. I am a person that sometimes goes back and look at my previous work.

Especially in this position. Because we are working for one company and one brand. So in this job I tend to look back at some of the things I’ve already done. I look at the project that I’m doing next and I try to carry on that same look, that same feel, that same brand, obviously the same colors, because we’re telling the same story.

So I basically finance creation from the stuff I’m already doing, so I try to create that, only in a different way. Try to tell that story, but with different elements. So for me, it’s a little bit different, because it’s just one brand. With different stories with different people, but yet the same story.

It’s the same product. We’re on the same mission. Whereas if you work for an agency, you’re working for maybe ten brands under your design umbrella. You have ten different concepts to come up with that are different.

Then maybe I’d be more into like creating the storyboards and design on paper and, kind of take that avenue a little bit differently. So it kind of depends on the position for me, and the end product.

That’s a tough one because, you get a lot of criticism in this field. I think it’s not so much the criticism that you will get in the field, it’s more about being passed over. You will get passed over a lot because there’s always going to be someone else that gets chosen. You have to remind yourself that, OK, maybe It wasn’t my time, maybe that’s not what I want, maybe there’s a reason why.

I always tell myself that, as much as they’re interviewing me, I’m interviewing them, in every position, job or anything I’m looking for, as much as they’re interviewing me, I’m interviewing them.

Anybody can offer you anything, but it’s your choice to accept. You have to accept them as much as they accept you. They have to reach your standards too.

About the Author

What was the harshest criticism you ever got? Erin

Pazour was home schooled from an early age and is a self-taught artist. She was always very easygoing and good with people. She prides herself on being a dependable hard worker and fast learner, and always puts in a hundred and ten percent into everything she does. She loves to make people smile, and hopes to one day publish an online comic for that purpose.

What advice would you give an aspiring artist or designer?

Never limit yourself to one area. Always be a dabbler in everything. Whether it’s photography, web design, creating videos or magazine layout, or Honestly, pattern making, freelancing anything really. Never limit yourself to just one thing.

Because there are so many options out there for you. You don’t want to ever feel like you’re only meant for one thing, so if that one thing doesn’t turn out, you have so many other things. Like if you were passed up for something, there’s still so many other things, so you’re not limited if That one thing doesn’t work out.

Always remind yourself, maybe they weren’t what you wanted because they didn’t meet your standards, but with freelance, you make your own clients, create your own thing and dabble in it all because all of it is the same everywhere you look. It’s design.

Exploring the Purrfect Place

with Sara Wendlandt, General Manager of the Cattitude Cafe

What sparked your passion for helping cats?

When my sister (the owner) and I were kids, you know, we always had cats, and have always loved cats. We had one pregnant cat named Nova, who always had kittens, we were always trying to find homes for those kittens. Our love for helping cats grew up into adulthood with us. We wanted to do something special for the community that also helped cats find homes. My sister and I have worked in restaurants practically our whole lives. So we know how the business goes. Then, in 2022, She asked me to help her open up the back of the house and be her kitchen manager. Then we took on the concept of the cat room and being part shelter, or foster home I should say, because we are taking care of these cats until they go to their forever home.

Meet Darla, our resident kitty “people greeter!”

A beautiful and rare chocolate cat, although her exact breed is unknown at this time. She is very cuddly and playful!

Where do you get your cats?

We are partnered with the Sioux Falls area Humane Society. They have what is called a feline friend room, where they put the cats to see how they do. They choose which ones go in, and as long as the cats can get along, don’t hoard the food, or guard the litter box then they qualify to come here. We like to usually keep about 15 cats in the room at all times. The most we’ve ever had was 37 cats. That was for our one-year anniversary, we were doing live adoptions in the cat room.

What is the process for adoption here?

You can either call the Humane Society. Or, we have a QR code that you can scan and it pulls up an application to fill out. Then the Humane Society will give us a call and let us know who you are, and who you’re picking up, then you would come back here to the cafe., we would just need the confirmation e-mail and a photo ID. Then we send you on your way with their tags, a treat for the cat, a treat for the human, and a cat carrier, so you don’t have to worry about bringing anything in.

Caught this curious cat watching me from above.

How many adoptions since you opened?

We are up to 329 so we’re pretty excited about that. The pictures on the wall, are just a little over half of the cats that have been adopted here. Almost all of them, except in the beginning few months when we first opened. We didn’t take pictures and focused on the monthly cats. But yeah, we decided to put all their pictures up and we’re really proud of how far we have come.

Do you have unique recipes?

All the recipes are my own. I was a chef prior to this. So all our recipes in the back of the house are homemade. Our coffee drinks are pretty similar to other places for basic requirements.

Our take on the coffee is that we do latte art in the shape of a cat’s head. We also roll out specials every two months. We just recently came out with our November, and December winter-themed foods. We have a deviled egg sandwich, and a Turkey and cranberry sweet treat tray. Before that, we had a charcuterie spooky board for Halloween. We try to keep it to every two months. With the not-so-popular items on our main menu, we kind of take them off, and then they usually make a reappearance so then it’s like a new thing.

What challenges did

you face?

There were many challenges. Starting with finding investors to help us get started, all the way up to construction. Making sure that we hit our deadlines on time, and making sure that we stayed on top of it.

Hiring and training staff. We had to explain like, ok, here is the new protocol, how do we want to do it, and making executive decisions on our expectations, and our goals and how do we meet that and get there through our staff.

Do you have any events?

We have lots of events. Over the summer we did “tats for cats”. We did a nice little promotion there with Crow Essentials. We do painting with cats twice a month, one for adults, and one for children.

The one I’m looking forward to coming up this winter, is we plan on doing a silent auction to help raise money for the business. Then we’re also doing what we call a “fur-ball” it’s our version of an adult prom.