My love of visual design began at the age of 3 with an uncommissioned rainbow-colored crayon mural on my bedroom wall. At 8, when sitting in my entrepreneurial father's real estate development office, I discovered blueprints and realized that there were practical applications for my drawing habit, and graph paper dream house floorplans became a regular sight on my bedroom floor. By high school I became known for my artistic talents, and a major in Fine Art at the University of Massachusetts followed, along with a self-taught dorm room education in web design.

While surfing tv channels one day I saw the campus television station's channel, which ran ads for clubs and such 20+ hours per day. They were awful -- busy background, four fonts, so hard to read! I went to the station to offer a few tips, and they offered me a job.

I was hooked.

As my design career took off in the fine art world of Upper East Side New York and at a commercial architecture firm in Boston, friends and family requested help with their small business websites, print materials and other creative pursuits. Eventually I turned to graphic design and website development freelancing full-time.

I soon realized that small business owners often based branding decisions on their own personal preferences -- their favorite colors, or a competitor's website that they think looks cool -- and organizations I worked with had boards and committees with SO many differing opinions!

A solid branding foundation builds credibility, loyalty, recognition, which drive sales and membership. It resonates with potential customers and members, attracting the right people -- people who value what you are providing.

But quality design is just the beginning. It's ineffective if you don't know how -- or don't have time -- to implement it consistently. It has to be planned properly, and used consistently by all staff across all web and print channels.

My clients didn't have the time or inclination to learn any of this -- they needed someone to partner with them in building their brand, to walk them through a process that wouldn't overwhelm them or take ages to complete.

Creative Concierge was born.