about me
Photo of John on a sunny day with a lake and mountains in the background.
Graphic design is about efficient and aesthetically-pleasing communication, so my primary goals for every project are for the audience to quickly grasp the information being conveyed and for those folks to enjoy the experience. Brand consistency and strategic purpose are hallmarks of my work, and I try to reflect the unique character of the subject in the visual elements I pull together to create each piece.

I grew up in a small town between Kalamazoo and Lake Michigan, where I played clarinet in the marching band, excelled at Quiz Bowl, and considered a herd of cows as my closest neighbors. After a unique college experience, I lived in southern New England for awhile, then relocated to the metro Detroit area with my husband in 2021 to be closer to family.

My personal interests include travel (and helping friends plan their trips), reading (nonfiction or Agatha Christie), tennis, music (from classical to ABBA), the Olympics, IKEA, and good food and wine. As for design, I'm drawn toward old maps and atlases, license plates, mid-20th century logos, Olympic branding, vintage travel posters, and the iconography of transportation wayfinding.
CERTIFICATIONS
  • Certified Registered Graphic Designer (RGD)  |  Since 2025
    Certification involved a proctored exam in accessibility design practices and ethics, as well as a thorough peer evaluation of selected portfolio case studies.     Learn more about this certification at rgd.ca
SKILLS 
  • Adobe Creative Cloud: InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom
  • Microsoft Office/ Google applications: Word/Docs, PowerPoint/Slides, Excel/Sheets
  • Website/UI design and maintenance using various platforms, including Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), WordPress, and Weebly/Squarespace (HTML/CSS experience)
  • Experienced brand designer: logo design, brand/visual identity guidelines, asset creation within existing brand guidelines
  • Experienced print designer: spec development, pre-press setup, and quality control
  • Experienced digital designer: social media specs, template development
  • Photography, photo editing, and creative direction
  • Knowledgeable of digital and design accessibility regulations and best practices
  • Exceptional attention to detail and efficiency
  • Unique ability to analyze complex issues and solve problems quickly and creatively
  • Strategic, pragmatic, collaborative