If you’ve been doing anything consistently and with vigor since you were three years old (or a tad older), you’re dedicated. Benjamin Callaghan, newly appointed designer at Fathom in Hartford, is dedicated to his creative melding of design and skiing.
“I consider myself a designer of ideas,” said Callaghan. “It sounds a little corny, but a good designer can take an idea and shape it and [it will] have a strong effect.”
A recent graduate of Alfred University in New York, Callaghan, 23, teamed up with a buddy who was a mechanical engineer to create three pairs of skis (that were skied on), a logo that stuck on the skis, a branding system, a Web site and a trade show exhibit.
Callaghan knew he had talent before getting to college. At 14 years old he started selling landscapes and pictures of trout at a shop in upstate New York, but he “kind of got bored of it.”
As a graphic designer at Fathom, Callaghan is responsible for identity, Web site and print projects. He is working on seven projects now, mainly with another designer.
“I was really surprised at how well my professors at Alfred prepared me,” said Callaghan, who sent out about 20 portfolio resume packages and called Fathom six or seven times before he got in for an interview. “I knew that it wasn’t easy and that I had to be persistent,” he said of his job search.
Throughout his search, Callaghan said it was difficult to tell what size a company was just from its Web site because many smaller companies had impressive sites. He was also unsure how to broach the subject of salary, but did a lot of research in his field and assessed his personal skills.
“The minute I walked into Fathom, I knew this is where I wanted to be,” said Callaghan, who grew up in Tupper Lake, New York, but currently lives in Newington.
“I like the area around Hartford in terms of design. You can get some high quality work without the city [atmosphere]. I could never work in New York. I’m used to living in the woods.”
Callaghan, who likes to spend much of his free time outdoors running amuck, has aspirations to create his own manufacturing and ski company. n
Amanda Blaszyk is a staff writer for the Hartford Business Journal.
