Cheryll Martin, a freelance graphic designer and owner of CM Design, Dallas, came to Hattiesburg from Little Rock, Ark. when her stepfather, Paul C. Rawlings, took a position as a judge in the Hub City. When she saw that HHS offered a mechanical drawing class, she jumped at the opportunity. Little did she know, she was the first female student to take the course.
“It was taught by an old coach,” said Martin. “I can’t remember his name, but he was always nice to me. It was amazing to me how much all these boys had to alter their behavior because a girl was in the room. It was pretty funny from my perspective.”
Martin chuckled as she recalled memories from the class. It would seem that the coach couldn’t quite remember her name either, as he’d always refer to her as, “little girl with the blue shoes.”
“He’d forget there was a girl in the room and let a cuss word slip, and he’d hang his head and say, ‘I’m sorry little girl with the blue shoes,’” Martin said with a big laugh.
After graduating in 1974, Martin attended the Memphis Academy of Art in Overton Park from 1975 to 1977, came back to Hattiesburg to complete two quarters of academics at The University of Southern Mississippi, then moved with friends she made at art school in Memphis to New Orleans, where she completed photography courses at Tulane.
Martin knew that art was her passion, but she also knew she needed to make a living to support herself. She’d been selling some of her watercolor paintings, but said it was hardly a living. Luckily, she had a friend who worked in a Little Rock ad agency who offered her a position making 200 watercolor posters.
“He paid me well and I was hooked,” said Martin. “Commercial art was a better lane for me. I worked in that ad agency in Little Rock for a couple of years but found that freelancing was more profitable.”
Martin moved to Dallas in 1988 and worked in restaurants and bars until she could find that perfect position she was looking for.
“I finally got a job at a production house called Typeworks,” said Martin. “I made fast friends with my manager, who was a computer genius. He taught me all the graphic softwares and printing specifications.”
With the right tools finally in her toolbox, Martin taught herself graphic design in the early 1990s, and the rest has become history. She went on to work with some of the most recognizable brands and companies in the nation like Coca-Cola, Michaels, Home Depot, GNC, Dick’s Sporting Goods, On the Border, Talenti Gelato and Pettigrew Luxury Furnishings.
When asked about her favorite or most memorable experience from her career, Martin said, “Years ago, I designed margarita mix buckets for On the Border, and they were sold at Sam’s and Costco. I walked into Costco one day, and there they were- stacked to the ceiling. There were so many margarita mix buckets.”
Now a leader in the industry, Martin recalls fond memories of her time in Hattiesburg and the roots that grew into her successful career.
“I met some of the most interesting people in Hattiesburg,” said Martin. “At that time, there was a certain air of the old South. The history was rich. It would later become the base of many of my friendships in Memphis and Dallas.”
