This is me.
I have been working in design for over 25 years, and during that time, I have been fortunate to work with great companies, clients, co-workers, and colleagues throughout the country. Working primarily as either art director or designer, I've also been known to take on the role of copywriter, production artist, traffic coordinator, photographer, and copy editor as needed. My approach leans toward clean, simple solutions; a deep respect for typography; and a tendency to follow my instincts.
Most of my experience in the field has been self-taught—whether through design books, working with other designers, or simply by sitting in front of the computer for hours at a time. Straight from college with limited experience, I was fortunate to find a home in a print shop as their lone graphic artist; an experience that set me up with experience and knowledge that I couldn't have gotten anywhere else. From there, I moved to design studios and marketing firms, from the Midwest to the Bay Area and back again before settling in North Carolina as a freelance designer. From creative director in a mid-size studio to ad agency design director, from president of the Nebraska chapter of AIGA to art director positions at both a West Coast Chamber of Commerce and a small marketing firm in the Midwest, every step along my career path was uncharted but helped shape me in ways I never could have imagined as I graduated from college with a degree in Advertising in PR. The description of my most recent contract as a marketing coordinator for an event management company in San Francisco, read like my resume, combining a little bit of nearly every previous role and creating something new and unexpected. Sounds a bit like graphic design, huh?
In the words of Rick Valicenti, “Sometimes, love forces people to become graphic designers.” In my case, I couldn’t agree more. Even in times of frustration, I’ve come to realize that it’s usually the environment and not the profession that needs changing because I cannot imagine doing anything else. Graphic design has taken me from Omaha to San Francisco to Kansas City to Raleigh to… wherever the wind—and passion—might take me next. You’ve gotta love a mobile profession like design!
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