JAG Design Ideas

Working full-time at CURE International

posted by Joel Glovier on 01/20/2010.

I’d like to make an announcement that as of September 1st, 2009 I have been working full time at CURE International as web and graphic designer. JAG Design Ideas will continue to operate but as a part-time venture, meaning my freelance workflow has been cut down considerably. My wife and I have also just had our first child within the past few weeks, so we are incredibly excited about this life change, but it also has affected my workflow. CURE International is a non-profit organization that does medical work with children in developing countries. I’ve been hired to keep the organization’s communication efforts looking good – and I’ve really enjoyed being part of this organization. CURE has a focus on orthopedic conditions such as clubfoot surgery, cleft lip and cleft palette surgeries, hydrocephalus, burn victims and other operations. CURE has hospitals throughout the world and is operating in more than 10 countries, including Kenya, Malawi, Afghanistan, the Dominican Republic, Uganda, Egypt, Haiti, and others.

My role is primarily to develop and oversee the artwork for print projects such as direct mail appeals, quarterly newsletters, promotional posters or other pieces. I’m also responsible for the design of new website content, which includes our monthly appeal and other promotional landing pages.

One of the projects I’m most excited about that is well under way at this point is our main site redesign. Before my arrival CURE had been working with an agency that helped them develop their current site (www.helpcurenow.org) and greatly improved their online donor experience. However, the site was designed more than two years ago now so it is time for a realignment. We have several goals in the area of usability and site architecture, but the thing that really get’s me motivated is making it look better and making the content more engaging. You can see a preview of our initial groundwork here, at conceptfeedback.com.

Not only is my work rewarding but I’m really grateful to be part of an organization that I can stand behind their purpose and mission. At it’s core, CURE has a mission thrust of bringing hope and healing through both medical work and spiritual ministry. Sharing the Gospel of Christ and introducing our patients to the One who wants to heal their whole person is just as much a part of what CURE is all about as bringing them physical healing through surgery.

In the past week I’ve had the chance to really see CURE’s mission in action in response to the earthquake crisis in Haiti. One of the CURE hospitals is in the Dominican Republic where we regularly send a team of our surgeons into Haiti for clinic work (every 3 months). When the earthquake happened last Wednesday, our doctors in the DR were able to respond almost immediately by getting together a team of 5 and flying in 500 lbs of supplies to start assisting in the medical relief work on Thursday. They have been there since, and we are currently planning much more relief work. You can follow the story here, at the CURE Blog. If you’d like to support the work that CURE is doing in Haiti, you can:

1) Give online at: http://helpcurenow.org/haitirelief,

2) Text “CURE” to 85944 to give a $10 mobile gift, or

3) Update your twitter and facebook status with the following: Help CURE in Haiti: http://helpcurenow.org/haitirelief or txt CURE to 85944 to give a $10 gift. Follow: http://blog.helpcurenow.org