Welcome to my Encore

I love freedom to create, so I freelance. Plus I’m at my most creative in front of my biggest fan, my dog max. I think I'm a person and designer with eclectic enough tastes to understand and enjoy creating for a wide range of audiences. I love to play with print, interactive design and branding. 



I’m fascinated by the power of typography and words, love interesting photography, and enjoy color and black & white equally. I like to make it all work together in a way that catches your attention and engages you.



In the past year I've started taking my first fine art classes and they have really affected my outlook on design and life. Stop back and visit to as I express my growing point of view on design and life.

Life is funny. Sometimes it takes you in directions you never imagined and you need to free your imagination.

My professional life started very differently than where I am now. I majored in Finance

and worked in the banking industry. I went on to earn my Certified Financial Planner

certification and moved into Private Banking as a CFP.

I chose to leave the rigid world of banking for a very different role: parent and volunteer.

That world has been anything but rigid! I love being a parent with two amazing kids who

are both now in college. Over the past 20 years I have been an active community volunteer

and spent 8 years substitute teaching. I’ve always dabbled in being creative - problem

solving, writing programs, producing flyers and newsletters or just doodling for personal fun.

For the last 8 years I’ve been able to take my creative side to a new level as a volunteer

for the American Cancer Society, primarily for the Relay For Life of Dearborn. My creative

and promotional work led our Relay to win the prestigious national ACS Terry Zahn Award 

for Marketing Excellence an unprecedented four years in a row from 2007 - 2010, as well

as winning the national ACS Award for Online Communication in 2008 and 2010. 

My volunteer and life experience have changed me. Creating something beautiful or

functional, or both, from a blank page or screen makes me happy.

What do you do for an encore?

Life has given me the little push I needed to brave going out on stage and doing what I love instead of what’s expected. I went back to school to polish the skills I had acquired by dabbling and to learn the tools that make being creative in today's world so exciting and so filled with possibilities. Now I’m putting those skills and tools to work at my own

graphic design business, Encore Designs. I hope you enjoy my Encore.