In my creative world, AI used to mean Adobe Illustrator. But lately, those two little letters have taken on a much bigger—and more complex—meaning. Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. It’s creeping into every part of business, design, and marketing. So I wanted to take a moment to share my perspective. Yes, AI is changing the landscape. …
Why Branding Is So Much More Than a Logo
Recently, I had the fortunate opportunity to speak to a group of over 100 people at my Quality Contacts networking group at Riverworks in downtown Buffalo. I was invited to showcase my portfolio and, more importantly, talk about a topic I care deeply about: branding. One of the first things I shared with the group …
Business cards 101: design and printing tips
Recently, I’ve come across many entrepreneurs who are just starting out and need a business card. Some go with digital cards, but if you are printing cards and you’re doing it yourself, here are a few important considerations to keep in mind: 1. Correct color formatting Please make sure all of your files are in …
Why Starting with Moodboards is Essential for Your Branding Project
Kicking off your branding project with a mood board is an absolute game-changer. It saves a lot of time and drives the creative direction for a project. What is a mood board? The dictionary defines it as: “an arrangement of images, materials, pieces of text, etc. intended to evoke or project a particular style or …
Why Starting with Moodboards is Essential for Your Branding ProjectRead More
Q1 wrapup: New infographics, branding and more
It’s hard for me to believe it’s the end of April. Q1 flew by and we are already a good month into Q2. I never got a chance to get my goals up online for the year, as I dove into 2024 headfirst with a slew of new projects. To recap what I’ve done so …
2023 End of the Year Recap
With the rush of Christmas behind us, I wanted to take a moment’s pause and recap on my successes of 2023 — and in the spirit of transparency — my failures. Or better called, learning opportunities! Success in my business I FINALLY started sending out a newsletter, I sent 17 newsletters in 2023. My goal …
My daisy pattern for Shein
It’s always so interesting to see what clients will put your artwork on. I never pictured this print on swimwear, but SheinX recently printed my art and printed it on this bikini. The photo has a blue tint to it but the original print is attached. I wish I could see it without the blue …
My portfolio review with Brenda Manley
Have you invested in yourself? I finally decided to book a professional portfolio review with agent Brenda Manley, of Brenda Manley Designs. Even though I have a degree in illustration, I have spent the majority of my career working as a graphic designer. The past few years I’ve been specifically concentrating on surface pattern designs …
Featured on Sketch Design Repeat
I’m excited to share that I was selected as the Spotlight Surface Pattern Designer for the month of June on Shannon McNab’s Sketch Design Repeat blog. If you’re not familiar with Shannon, she is an American surface pattern designer living in Dublin, Ireland and has a wealth of experience in the field. She offers courses …
Some of my favorite podcasts
Are you a fan of podcasts? I am a huge listener of podcasts and try to squeeze in as many episodes as possible. I listen while walking my dogs, running errands, doing chores or even while working, particularly on something that doesn’t require tons of brain power. I know many surface pattern designers listen to …
Minted greeting card design
Shop now: Minted.com I am so excited to announce my greeting card design has won an Editor’s pick from Minted‘s Small Steps Big Moments: Greeting Cards Challenge contest! I’ve been entering my work at Minted for quite some time and got very serious about studying the greeting card market this past year. I submitted a …
Custom Stationery
Who doesn’t love to receive mail? Not email, REAL mail, or snail mail…whatever you want to call it. There is something special about opening the mailbox and seeing a letter addressed to you, feeling the weight of the paper and the mark of the pen, and enjoying the permanence of it. It conveys that someone …