The (mostly) humans
behind Tradecraft

I’ve always been fascinated by signs, wayfinding, and placemaking, and the way graphic design could interact with architecture, landscaping, and the built environment. So back in 1997, at the ripe old age of 16, I decided to embark on a career in signmaking, taking a job as a vinyl slinger in a mom and pop vinyl shop.

In 2000, after completing a degree in visual communications, I set out in hot pursuit of the American dream and started my own sign company. For the next 13 years, with some long nights, hungry days, and a lot of help from friends and family, that company grew into a respectable enterprise.

While that growth allowed me to get my hands in just about every facet of this industry, it also meant my role in the company moved ever farther from what brought me to this industry in the first place - love of design.

I decided it was time for a change, found a buyer for the company, and made my return to civilian life. Seeking adventure (boy did I find it), I headed west - from my Ohio hometown all the way to Oregon. It’s here that I put in a few years as a designer at a large electrical shop before the call of entrepreneurship became too great to resist, and, in 2016, Letterbox was born.

Now, when I’m not designing signs for my clients from my comfy home office (yes, usually in my pajamas), I spend my time tending to our herd of cats, gorging on travel documentaries, or soaking in all the natural wonders that this beautiful state has to offer. I’m also eyeball-deep in a soup-to-nuts renovation of our house.

My story as a sign designer started 10 years ago at a small sign shop in Albuquerque, NM. Owned by two brothers, this shop produced a wide range of work such as interior wall wraps, vehicle wraps, dimensional signage, event graphics, and ADA packages… this was a great place to learn the ropes and build a foundation as a designer in the sign industry.

After moving to the Pacific Northwest, I worked for a few other sign companies (large and small), where I expanded my experience - designing for larger scope projects. I also spent time at these companies working in sales and estimating, and project management which not only gave me a deeper understanding of the industry, it also changed my approach to design.

As a designer, there is always a drive to learn more, try something new or different… develop something fresh. For me, that drive is always pointing me toward branding, marketing, logo design… developing the visual identity of a business. Those are my favorite projects to work on - it allows my creative side to take the steering wheel, and sometimes I even surprise myself where I end up in the final design.

Outside of designing, I’m a mom to one human and four fur babies. I’m also a photographer, a coffee addict, and a serious nerd for musicals and Disney movies.

Louie is our Bernese Mountain Dog and full-time studio mascot. He possesses zero design skills, absolutely no concept of deadlines, and has never once read a set of shop drawings. He spends most of his day sleeping under the desk, occasionally sighing loudly during client calls, and acting as Tradecraft’s unofficial quality control department. His reviews are consistent: everything gets a tail wag.

He takes his role as company mascot very seriously, which mostly means being present, looking handsome, and stepping on power cords at critical moments. If you’re on a video call with us, expect a cameo. If you visit in person, expect dog hair on everything you own. He’s not sorry about it.