Spirit by Design

When Sonja Faul was named a Cardinal Spirit Award recipient, teammate Jill Wegenast was excited for her. “Sonja has the can-do attitude that is characteristic of a Cardinal Spirit Award winner… and she takes care of business with a smile on her face!”

Working behind the scenes to shape the look and story our College shares with a larger community means much more than creating Cardinal red colorways and tasteful layouts. It’s a deliberate choice to provide the fixture by which we amplify the work we do to empower and inspire the lives of our students and the UofL community. In a world that competes for attention, catching the eye and delivering substance may feel fleeting. A designer with empathy and energy is essential to capture those snapshot spaces. It means understanding the bigger picture, even when you’re holding only a handful of puzzle pieces. In her short time at the College of Business, Sonja Faul has helped build a better frame around our shared story. “I’m always learning something new from the people around me,” says Sonja. “It’s incredible to have the very same people I admire nominate me for this award!”

Transition in a pandemic

As a graphic designer, Sonja joined the College of Business Marketing and Communications team at the heart of the pandemic. A Cincinnati native, she had previously worked for the Newport Aquarium and ArtsConnect in her hometown before moving to Louisville. While spending the first year at the College in a remote setting offered its challenges, her outgoing nature and work ethic made building chemistry with her teammates and collaborators easier.

Adding new creative energy to the marketing team meant new ideas and opportunities to share the College of Business’ story with our community. Sonja’s background in animation and motion graphics helped provide new flourishes to existing concepts and allowed her to showcase her talents. “I love the flexibility to create all sorts of projects with my skillset in graphic design,” says Sonja. “I’m always particularly jazzed about a motion graphics project.” These experiences have provided her the opportunity to hone her skillset further—her excitement about working on these projects is kinetic. “My current favorite is the work I do for the Louisville Bats ads. I create really cool motion pieces to energetic music that plays at the baseball stadium! Talk about a cool venue to showcase something you’ve created.”

Inspired designs

Along with her contributions to the design and visuals at the College, Sonja has helped offer her insight and design knowledge to departments via the College’s templated design system. Alongside fellow graphic designer Jill Wegenast, Lucidpress offers branded content for a range of materials in pre-designed forms. Lucidpress allows departments to make flyers and materials that have the official UofL look and feel. It also means regularly troubleshooting and updating materials and styles to accommodate user needs. That level of work is far from automated, and knowing that someone like Sonja is working behind the scenes means our staff is getting the support and insights they need to make their materials the best they can be.

While helping to shape the College’s story, Sonja also continues to build her narrative. This fall, she starts the UofL MBA program. “I greatly respect the people I work with, and their goals and accomplishments inspire me,” explains Sonja. “It made me want to get out there and try to be the best I can be! Working at UofL has made for an amazing opportunity to grow in my career.”