I've always been drawn to the way great cartoonists could say so much with so little. Simple lines and gestures, bright flat colors, and subtle shading, yet there is no mistaking the meaning of each drawing. I never got bored looking at or reading a cartoon or comic strip. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate fine art and the work of the masters too, but as far as I’m concerned visiting the great art museums of the world would be a lot more fun if they included a few cartoonists.

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When are you going to get a real job?

There are many paths to success, mine began in advertising. My career started in a small ad agency creating ads and designing logos. It was a good job, but eventually, I grew restless. so one day, I introduced something a little different. I added a cartoon character to one of my layouts. To my great surprise, the client was thrilled and asked that I head up their new menu campaign. The agency discovered they had struck gold and I began introducing cartoons to some of our bigger clients as well and guess what?…it worked. Suddenly I realized that cartooning wasn’t just about animation or the funnies section in the paper, cartooning also had a place in the business world. I knew if I looked hard enough, I could probably find other places where cartooning could be an even bigger part of my job.

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Cartooning is Big Business

The more I looked around the more I realized cartoons were big business and they were being used to sell anything from toys to books, to cereal, and more. I quickly developed a portfolio reflecting my new-found knowledge and completely changed my marketing plan. In 1998 I started my own studio where my job was to create exactly what I loved most all day, every day. As my business matured I began to look at ways I could offer more to my clients. That's when I began to study marketing and branding. If I could find a way to offer my skills as more than just a single illustration or design I knew I could make a bigger difference for my clients. I could offer them a way to expand the look and feel of their company and help them expand their presence in the market place. By using my unique skills as an illustrator and combining it with my talent as a designer I was able to help them stand out with a unique look that was guaranteed to grab attention as well as delight their customers.