The BluePrint’s 2018 sports editor and designer, Jake Miller, truly “left [his] mark” on B-A during his time in high school.
Before deciding to take BluePrint class in his senior year of high school, he knew he needed a way to get involved in the school culture.
“I was always a good writer, and BluePrint seemed like a good fit. I also wanted an opportunity to showcase the design skills I had been teaching myself outside of school…,” Jake said.
Jake’s dedication outside of the classroom along with his graphic design skills, made The BluePrint’s social media accounts, home page, and photos “shine”.
“By adding [graphics] to our already impressive room of writers, it just took our coverage to the next level,” he said.
BluePrint advisor, Mr. Kerry Naylor, agreed that Jake’s time put into the website made a difference.
“Jake was this perfect combination of a student who was legitimately gifted, bright and talented and also highly motivated … He was amazing and he left a lasting legacy,” commented Mr. Naylor.
According to Mr. Naylor, it was during the B-A girls basketball team’s march to its first PIAA championship in 2018 when Jake leaving an indelible mark on the BluePrint through social media. Jake made social media cards for all of the girls’ games, both prior to the game and then afterwards to announce the final score.
“They were so professionally done and creative,” Mr. Naylor said. “I remember Jake took his laptop to the championship game in Hershey and throughout the game he updated all of our social media with cards announcing the quarter-by-quarter score. By the end of the game, our Twitter was being retweeted by some of the biggest media outlets in Pennsylvania, and several of them gave us shout-outs saying how good our coverage was.”
One design that remains prominent on the website is its homepage banner, created by the 2018 graduate. Jake had a desire to “develop a cohesive look” for The BluePrint’s graphics and modernize the appearance to fit with current styles.
“I wanted to use paper texture (because…well it’s the BluePrint), and the gold foil in the logo was reflective of the fact we had just won two consecutive Keystone Press Awards for the best online school newspaper in PA, and it only seemed right,” he said.
Even today, the banner Jake created is a focal point of the website, and The BluePrint wouldn’t be the same without it.
“You can still see the impact of his work on the BluePrint website today,” Mr. Naylor said.
In May of 2023, Jake graduated from Penn State University in the Bachelors of Fine Arts program with an emphasis in Digital Media and a minor in Photography. During his time at PSU, Jake had an internship with the Athletics Department and made graphics that can be found on various social media accounts for the Nittany Lions.
His talents in the design field have led him to creating more social media graphics, print and digital advertisements, event branding, and merchandise for USA Track & Field. Jake is a Junior Graphic Designer at its headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.
