What was Jana thinking?

“They focused primarily on web design, and it gave me an opportunity to learn how everything works, between designers, to everyone who constructs the website, to the programmers.”

Originally from Calgary, Bienz and her husband moved to New York City for six years after her stint at Critical Mass, before relocating to Airdrie in 2007.

“We decided after six years the U.S. was a very expensive [place] to live, in order for us to do the things we wanted, like have a family and own a house,” she says. “We thought Airdrie would be the logical place.” if supporters of Think Airdrie are successful, you’ll see the colourful thought bubbles of the initiative’s logo everywhere, from restaurants to insurance offices.

Bienz jumped at the chance to help promote Airdrie and the Think Airdrie campaign.

So it was natural that an Airdrie resident design the logo.

Jana Bienz says she’s always been interested in the arts,“but I’m not an artist, per se.”

Curiosity led her to enter the field of web design.

“When the Internet exploded about 11 years ago, I was interested in how everything was done and I decided I’d go to school to learn how the Internet works,” Bienz says.“I went to Applied Multimedia Professional Centres, and they offered programs related to graphic design and web design.”

Her first job out of school was with Critical Mass, a digitally inclined marketing firm.

“That experience was almost as good an education as the school was,” says Bienz.

“I liked the initiative they’re trying to put forward, trying to get people more aware of what Airdrie has to offer,” says Bienz. “I thought I’d like to be a part of that.

“One of the nice things about Airdrie is we have everything here, but it’s not always right in front of your face.”

Coming up with her simple, potentially iconic thought-bubble design didn’t happen overnight. “It took me a few days to … get to the point where I was happy with the concept. I had several different drafts going at one time,” Bienz says. The hard work paid off when organizers chose her creation.

When not designing logos for her hometown, Bienz works for Calgary-based SAHURI + Partners Architecture, and she was honoured by the Interactive Media Awards for her work on the company’s website.

Currently on maternity leave with a new daughter, Bienz says she hopes to continue developing her web- and graphic-design skills. life

story & photos by Carl Patzel