Joy Pollard is a Senior Technical Graphic Designer and Adobe Certified Professional. She is speaking at the The InDesign Conference 2026, which takes place online December 1–4, 2026. We thought it would be fun to get to know her better with some Q&A.
You’ve been part of the CreativePro community for years, but this is your first time on the other side of the stage. What made you decide to step into the speaker role at this year’s InDesign Conference?
I attended my first CreativePro conference almost ten years ago. Back then I had a lot to learn (and if I am honest still do!) and the conference was exactly what I needed to really up my level of understanding of the big three design apps (Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign).
Over the years, as I’ve connected with my fellow attendees, I found I was answering more questions than I asked, and I came to the realization that I may know a little bit about this, and maybe I can share some of my knowledge.
A few years back I had the pleasure of giving an Ignite presentation at CreativePro Week. It really cemented the idea that not only is this something I enjoyed but that I might be able to give back to the community that has helped me grow and learn over these many years.
You didn’t start out as a graphic designer. Tell us about your career path and how it eventually led you into design.
Like many I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I “grew up.” In college I took a lot of courses that were interesting to me, but that were not likely to lead to gainful employment, at least according to my parents. What they did lead to was a basic understanding of design principles (photography, drawing 101) and a strong work ethic (theater practicum). For almost a decade I traveled all over the country doing mostly lighting and sound, with a bit of carpentry and audiovisual work thrown in for good measure.
Then, when it was time for a change, my experience led me back home to Hilo as a planetarium technician and presenter. That opened the door to starting my career at the Gemini Observatory as an intern cataloging and tagging archival images with Lightroom 2. From there I got a lot of “on the job training” dipping my toes into Photoshop and InDesign as I learned how to communicate the wonders of the universe that Gemini was discovering. Fast forward 18 years, a graphic design certificate, and many conferences later, here I am.
Your graphic design skills were developed largely through experience, classes, and professional development. How has being part of a community of other creative professionals influenced the way you learn and grow?
Without having any formal training in graphic design (outside of a two-year certificate program), I am no stranger to “imposter syndrome.” It’s the community who have not only helped me grow and learn, but also gave me permission to be a “designer.” Adobe MAX was my first creative conference.
At the time I remember thinking, I’ve found my tribe! The following year, on the recommendation of David Blatner, I attended my first CreativePro Week, and then I knew, not only had I found my tribe, but I had found my people. It is through this community that I no longer saw myself as a pretender, giving myself permission to take up space, have an opinion, and be comfortable as a life long learner. I would not be the designer I am today without CreativePro.
Your InDesign Conference session is about Preflight in InDesign and Acrobat. How does Preflight help you stay focused on the creative work instead of trying to keep track of everything yourself?
I’m a big fan of checklists and automation. Checklists save me from forgetting things, and the more I can automate things, the less brain power I have to spend on keeping track of the minutiae.
For me, preflighting really takes away a lot of the guess work, and double checking that I remembered to do all the things. It’s a sanity check that lets me focus more on the creative aspects and less on wondering if I checked all the links, scaled everything proportionally, and so on. It takes a little bit of time and effort to set up all the checks, but once that’s done it also means more mental energy for the fun stuff. Overall, it makes outputting files much less stressful with far fewer do-overs.
Before you were a Senior Technical Graphic Designer, you were roller derby player Elekchick KillJoy, number U-235. We have to hear the story behind that name.
I’ve always loved roller skating, ever since I was a kid. It was one of the few physical activities that I enjoyed doing! Some years back I got wind of a group of women looking to form a league, which eventually became the Paradise Roller Girls.
I was kind of shy at the time, and didn’t know much about derby except it meant hip checking or possibly clotheslining someone else into the ground and I didn’t really want to hurt anyone. But even after years of not skating, I could actually do crossovers (crossing one leg over the other while going around a curve) while some of the other women were just learning how to skate, so it was something I kind of had a knack for, and it was fun—even the hip checking part, heck even getting hip checked! So before I knew it I was hooked.
Every player had to have a unique derby name and number. As many players do, I agonized over what to pick as my derby name, but in the end it was really a no brainer. For years I had used “Elekchick” as my email, and well, “KillJoy” seemed appropriate. I would be a killjoy to the other team, and it was a play on my name (as well as my former occupation). As for the number, Uranium 235 was the isotope used in the first atomic bomb. It’s a little bit geeky but also a little bit of a stretch; as in, Elekchick KillJoy = Electromagnetic Pulse (that would be generated by a nuclear blast).
When I think back on it, roller derby was a great way to learn how to become a team player. I owe a lot of my self confidence to my time playing derby, and although I don’t play anymore, I still love to skate!
This article was last modified on October 12, 2026
This article was first published on October 12, 2026
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