Creative Leadership
Trish Creative Director (Strategy & Editorial), Marketing Studio
- When did you join Hallmark? In 1989. And then again in 1998.
- Hometown? Born in Johnson City, TN, but then went all over with my Army family
- What's your educational background? B.S. Advertising from the University of Texas (Creative)
- Why did you decide to work here? Round 1: I had a blast filling out the creative writing portfolio. Round 2: I really missed working with fun, smart, talented, creative people all day, every day.
- What do you do at Hallmark? Collaborate with our advertising agency to develop creative strategies for marketing and advertising.
- If you were a shoe, what would you be? A nicely worn-in pair of black flip flops.
- What's your creative process?
- Go to as many meetings as it takes to understand the problem that needs solving.
- Talk to the people on my team about what they think.
- Get a Diet Coke.
- Check Facebook, e-mail and Twitter.
- Find out what the people outside my booth are laughing so hard about.
- Get a latte from the cafe downstairs.
- At the last possible minute, blurt my ideas into a Word or PowerPoint doc.
- Start again at 2 and repeat until the strategy is brilliant (and approved).
- What three words best sum up your experience? Fun. Challenging. Collaborative.
- Whom/what are your influences? Consumers. Bloggers. My staff. My improv comedy troupe. Great work by other brands. When You Care Enough by our founder, J.C. Hall.
- What's the best part about working at Hallmark? No question—the people. Working for a brand I believe in a gazillion percent is right up there, too.
- What's your favorite time of the work day? Any time I get to brainstorm with people from a bunch of different areas. (Usually late morning or early afternoon.)
- Favorite Crown Room (cafeteria) delicacy? Peanut butter, apple and bacon whole-grain panini.
Hand Lettering
Amber Lettering Artist IV
- When did you join Hallmark? Intern summer 2004, hired February 2005
- Hometown? Wichita, KS
- What's your educational background? Studied graphic design & illustration at University of Kansas
- Why did you decide to work here? I love lettering and lettering is kind of a dying skill in the outside world. People still appreciate it, but not many people do it. Hallmark was one of the only places that has a hub of amazingly talented lettering artists. I wanted to develop my skills in their midst. I love design and illustration, too, and I liked that Hallmark has departments in all three, should I ever want to explore a different focus. Plus, I love making cards for people and have always done it. It is a perfect fit for who I am.
- What do you do at Hallmark? I am a lettering artist, so I collaborate with other designers, illustrators and photographers to create product and ideas. Some cards, too—I do the whole thing. On some, I'm able to use my illustration background, and, on the others, I get to meet and work with lots of people on lots of different things.
- If you were a shoe, what would you be? Hmm...I think I would have to be a bright wellington boot.
- What's your creative process? I research a lot. I keep a folder of things I like to look at. I doodle in my sketchbook and get my best ideas from what comes out of me when I'm not trying to come up with anything.
- What three words best sum up your experience? Creative. Fun. Educational.
- Whom/what are your influences? I love looking at illustrators who do lettering, too. I am influenced by line quality and shapes. My greatest art heroes are probably Margaret Kilgallen, J. Otto Seibold, Linzie Hunter, Kate Sutton, Ray Fenwick and Mike Perry.
- What's the best part about working at Hallmark? I have grown so much as an artist and as a professional since coming here. There are so many great people here to learn from.
- What's your favorite time of the work day? I like getting here early when no one is here yet (not that I make it out of bed that early very often). As much as I get charged up by being around people, I feel very creative in quiet, in the morning.
- Favorite Crown Room (cafeteria) delicacy? It would, hands-down, be the mozzarella-tomato-basil panini. Five stars!
Photography
Erin Commercial Studio Photo Stylist
- When did you join Hallmark? August 2002
- What's your educational background? I have a B.S. in photography from University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. (It was Central Missouri State when I was there.)
- Why did you decide to work here? It sounds corny, but I have wanted to work here since I was a little kid. I grew up in a small town in Missouri about an hour and a half from Kansas City. I remember coming to the visitor's center with my family as a kid and being completely mesmerized by that machine that makes the bows. Do they still have that machine? Anyway, from then on I wanted to work at Hallmark.
- What do you do at Hallmark? I am a photo stylist in the Commercial Photo Studio. Our department creates the photography for all advertising, marketing and retail purposes such as print ads, catalogs, direct mail pieces and store signage. The photo stylist is, basically, the person that gathers all the things necessary for the photo shoot (products, props, wardrobe) and puts it all together in a visually pleasing way. It is a very collaborative job. I work closely with a photographer and an art director from the preliminary concepting and production stage all the way through the execution of the shoot. Since I have a degree in photography, sometimes they let me get behind the camera, too! I get a little bit of the best of both worlds.
- If you were a shoe, what would you be? A ballet flat—comfortable, versatile, unassuming, but still cute enough to go out in if you had to.
- What's your creative process? Hmm, this is a heavy question. It seems funny for a creative person to be a Type-A personality, but I am. I'm a total list maker. When I get an assignment, I might sit down and do a quick brainstorm and sift through some blogs or visual research. When I find something that sparks some ideas, I will then proceed in making anywhere from 6 to 133 (depending on the complexity of the project) different lists outlining all aspects of the project. Those become my bible for the rest of the project.
- Whom/what are your influences? I am incredibly inspired by all of the talented people I work with, directly and indirectly, here at Hallmark. I love looking at magazines with good photography, and I am a total design blogaholic (who isn't?). Design*Sponge, Decor8 and Apartment Therapy are a few of my favorites.
- What's the best part about working at Hallmark? It really feels like I'm still in art school. Everyone is so nice and generous with their knowledge and talent. It isn't competitive at all, and my peers, especially my more senior peers, are really invested in helping my career grow and flourish. There are also lots of great speakers and special programs—with door prizes!
- What's your favorite time of the work day? 2:30 p.m. snack time (my co-workers will tell you I am very motivated by food).