I remember when it all started — I was so excited to get a co-editor that I scheduled a meeting at a coffee shop before the year even started to talk about design and how excited I was to have you on board. Everything in my brain was moving ten thousand miles an hour, and I’m sure that nothing I said made any sense to you at first.

Since you were named my co-editor for my last year on the Dart, I have never been more grateful and excited to work beside someone. Not only have you been an incredible co-editor, you have been an incredible friend.

I love how we balance each other out — I’d like to consider us the yin and yang of the Dart’s design side. I am the yang; firey and energetic, fast-paced and impulsive. You are more like the yin; more passive and understanding, as well as meticulous and analytical.

It’s a pretty common thing for my brain to go way faster than it needs to. I get so excited about a topic that I simply can’t help but talk fast and spew concepts and directions to other designers left and right. Ever since you’ve been with me, I’ve been able to take a step back, look at the bigger picture and understand that not everyone moves as fast as I do.

I remember our first project together during the very first issue of this year. I designed the first cover and you designed the first centerspread. Instead of working with what we already had, we decided to kick our designs up a notch and take our own photos — the day before we sent the issue off to the printer. It was stressful, but we pulled it off and created an awesome design package (and hey, it won you an award!). This experience set the scene for our friendship but also showed me and the rest of the staff how well we work together.

Another great thing about us working together is that we can work hard and have fun at the same time. Even if it’s silly banter between us, like you making fun of me for not utilizing layers to organize my InDesign file or me making fun of you for using said layers, I have always found that we can have a friendly conversation and do our job as editors simultaneously.

Since our first meeting, our first project and our first issue together, I have been so incredibly lucky to call you a friend. What started as a strictly professional, Dart-oriented relationship quickly turned into us sending each other funny pictures on Instagram, laughing our faces off while watching music videos in the back of the Environmental Science classroom and walking around Westport, buying sweaters even if the weather was getting warmer and warmer.

So, thank you. Thank you for understanding my wacky design ideas and encouraging me to run with whatever comes to my head. Thank you for helping me to slow down, calm down and help people with their struggles and trials with design whenever they need. Most of all, thank you for becoming one of my closest friends this year. I will miss you so dearly next fall.

With love,

Anna

P.S. I will never, ever use layers on InDesign.