Philosophy
I believe conceptual strength, research, and demographic awareness are key priorities for successful design, but the power behind
great design is not limited to marketing success; it changes perception and motivation, drives preferences, fads, and beliefs through
subtle associations, and ultimately changes the world, especially in an increasingly smaller global society. A designer's job is to
connect people, but in this digital-age's mass-mess of information-overload consumers don't just want to be sold a product. They
want to be inspired by a product. Design is now more than art and marketing; it's psychology, intuition, cultural anthropology, global
awareness, economics, and all the baggage that society brings to the table. Successful graphic designers today must have an
internal fascination for learning about and understanding the world around them.
.........We see with our brain, not with our eye. -DK Holland

Bio
My design experience began with an interest in art, layout, and communication as far back as junior high school when I began working
on the newspaper and yearbook staffs. I continued with yearbook through high school and was the Editor in Chief my senior year. At
Cornish College of the Arts I was hired for their publications department as a freshman even though the position was normally granted
only to juniors. At the College of Southern Idaho I did design for the Honors Program, the Physical Education Program, the campus gallery,
and the Art Department. My Business Professionals of America Presentation Management Team took first at nationals in Chicago in 2002.
I worked at a small design and copy shop called Desktop by Design for almost two years and dealt directly with small clients and their
business and personal design needs while learning about digital printing. I became an in-house designer for a company called Positive
Action, Inc. where I had the opportunity to design a wide range of materials including conference graphics, catalogs, direct mailers, manual
covers, posters, web graphics, banners, folders, PPT presentation templates, etc. I then went back to school in Seattle where I finished my
BFA, did design for a fashion show in the fashion department, was the Senior Editor of the student produced magazine for several issues,
and was co-president of the Graphic Design Club for a quarter. I became interested in, and did my senior thesis on, the specialty of
environmental design and how it relates to new urbanism and sociology. I did an internship at Spacecraft Clothing where I did a lot of photo
editing for print and web, built vector cads of clothing, put together a look-book to give to buyers at Nordstroms, and did pre-press for
screenprinting. I did an internship at Superbig Creative where I got to work on bottle packaging for Jones Soda Company and layout the
dealer book for EVIL Bikes. After graduation I did a lot of contract work for Koryn Rolstad Studios learning to develop concepts, mock-ups, presentations, and production files for environmental graphics and sculptural installation pieces, particularly in acrylic media. While there I
also started her next catalog design, produced an e-mail newsletter, and designed several invitations. Over the years I have also done
many individual art and design commissions including murals, paintings, monograms, photo restorations, identities, and marketing pieces.

I am originally a Texan, but I grew up on a farm in Idaho playing with toads and climbing Elm trees. Even though I love all kinds of
outdoor recreational activities that come from growing up in a place like Idaho, I have always been enamored with the city,
and so now I call the beautiful city of Seattle home.