About
My company name, Communicating Words & Images, defines my philosophy. The words—the message—matter. The visuals—the typography, layout, images, and colors—all work together to enhance the message.
From 1974–81, I worked for a variety of firms in the communications industry, including a local newspaper, three advertising agencies, a corporate in-house agency, and a large commercial printing company. This experience gave me the skills to strike out on my own in 1981, when I opened a six-person, full service design and photography studio in San Antonio. In 1993, with my industry fully revolutionized by the computer, I moved to Seattle and downsized to a home office. This technical background and 40+ years of experience give me the perfect blend of old-school knowledge and digital technology to ensure that my work meets a high level of quality.
As a designer, I excel at text-intensive projects like books, in addition to complex publications for non-profits and professional organizations where much of the content comes from staff and volunteer writers. My left and right brains work in tandem to organize the materials and produce a finished product designed to guide the reader through the text and images. My typography is top-notch as I give a great deal of attention to details like kerning and text flow. You’ll find no widows, orphans, rivers, or strings of multiple hyphens in my work.
I am also a nationally published writer and editor, allowing me to offer a full range of publishing services to my clients. In addition to writing promotional copy, magazine articles, and profiles for my clients, I have written for both regional and national publications such as ParentMap, Stars and Stripes, and American Girl Magazine. My specialties include parenting, pets, gardening, and the natural world. In digital publishing class at the University of Washington time, I created a blog site on sustainable living as the Green Queen of Moderation. Though I have not had the time to keep it up, I am proud of the work done.
The combination of writing, design, production, and organizational skills gives me the perfect toolbox to be an efficient and effective publishing project manager. My work experience includes stints as a production manager at a national advertising agency and a large commercial printer. In both cases, I was responsible for a team of designers, typesetters, and outside contractors like photographers and illustrators. In the course of the workweek, I juggled a number of projects, both large and small, through the print process.
Timothy Coghill, MA
Marketing Manager at Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)
"When working with Andrea, I am continually amazed at the quality of work she provides. While hired as a designer, she also brought with her an eagle's eye for editing and the ability to think outside the box when faced with obstacles. Besides this, she always delivered a quality product on or before the desired delivery date, and she was very flexible when circumstances necessitated changes to the original production schedule. I would hire her again in a heartbeat!"
Contact me for a free half-hour consultation on your next project.