About my work

Although I consider myself primarily a graphic designer, I also bring the instincts of a writer, editor, and illustrator to my work — which means I can obsess over both the headline and the kerning.

 

For many years I was a principal at Ross Culbert & Lavery, a mid-sized New York City design firm where I worked with an incredible mix of clients: publishers, museums, investment banks, legal and accounting firms, nonprofits, media companies, and entrepreneurs. Since 2011 I’ve worked independently with an equally eclectic (and always interesting) group, with a growing emphasis on smaller businesses and nonprofits that do meaningful work — and let me do the same.

 

My approach to the work is simple: listen carefully, think creatively, and find the most thoughtful, cost effective way to tell a client’s story. It’s equal parts strategy, storytelling, and working hard to earn a client’s trust so that they return again and again.

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About me

After decades of living and working in Manhattan, in 2012 I decided to swap the city’s taxis and takeout for trees and tranquility. I now work from my studio in the Mid-Hudson Valley, where one window looks out on an apple orchard and the other on the Catskill Mountains. It’s only 90 minutes from Manhattan, but far enough away to see ideas — and life — more clearly.

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When I’m not in front of a screen, I’m usually hiking, cycling, or trying to coax a bumper crop of apples from the 65-tree orchard on the hillside behind our house. I have a great love for our national parks, am a long-suffering Mets fan (which keeps me humble), and am a newly-minted citizen of the Republic of Ireland — a long-held dream finally achieved.

 

I consider it proof that patience, perseverance, and a little Irish luck can still get you somewhere.