Who am I?
My name is Cade Wharton, and I am a recent Graphic Design graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a minor in Business.
I am currently living in the Chicago suburbs (Vernon Hills). Design and art have always been a passion of mine, and I knew from a young age I wanted to surround myself with the world of art and express my love for it in as many ways as possible. It wasn't until high school that I took a graphics class and fell in love with graphic design and combining my two favorite things: technology and art.
In college, I created graphics for the Daily Illini, the school newspaper, and created many projects for my classes and for my own enjoyment. I love designing logos, graphics, layouts, illustrations, etc., and have been branching out into the world of fashion and social media.
I studied abroad in Italy for 6 months and learned more than I could have ever imagined about art, culture, history, and of course food! I truly feel this experience has given me a new set of invaluable skills that I can apply to everything from my home life to my career and self.
I am a super colorful and enthusiastic person looking forward to joining the professional world of design, hopefully working with graphic design, social media, and fashion!
Resume
Inspiration
1964-2016
My dad, B.G. Wharton, was born on June 11, 1964, in Dayton, Ohio. He attended the University of Ohio and transferred to the University of North Carolina Charlotte when his family moved and gave him no option but to come with.
He studied business in college and always had a gift for sales because of his talkative and likable personality. He worked many places, but his greatest accomplishment was going from selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door to being a high-up salesman working for one of the largest packaging companies in the country, Rock-Tenn (now called Westrock because of a recent merge with MeadWestvaco), making over six figures a year. For over 10 years he worked at Rock-Tenn acquiring clients such as Palermo’s Pizza and Cole's Breadsticks, among many other huge names and even helped out with the McDonald’s happy meal boxes. Although selling boxes doesn't sound super glamorous, he loved his job and the places he got to go, and the people he got to meet.
Unfortunately, on February 10, 2016, he passed away from a sudden heart attack. It was tragic and unexpected and completely shattered my family's world. We essentially lost all our sources of income and went through really hard times with just my mom raising us, but my dad was the most inspiring person I have ever met. He always told me there is only one thing to remember in life and his famous quote was “If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.” That quote leads my life. Without him, I don't know if I would have had the courage to pursue my dreams in the arts. So many people shunned me about the stereotypes of being an art major and not being able to get a 'real' job, but if I'm happy doing my job then I don't care about anything else.
When I think about how much he accomplished in his too short life, I know that the sky is the limit. Not a day goes by where I don't think about him and his encouraging words that have led me to the path I'm taking in life. And I know for a fact that he would be proud of me today.