About Nancy Gordy and Gordy Graphics

Upstate New York — No, Not New York City...

I grew up in a small town in Upstate New York located a half hour from Saratoga Springs. I was very fortunate to grow up and live on a 75 acre property. My parents started and kept a Christmas tree farm on over 40 of the acres.

Mom and Dad were school teachers; my Mom was an art teacher at a nearby town, and my Dad a history teacher at my high school. I was his student for a year and a half. I grew up at a time when it was safe to walk home alone and safe to be an adventurous spirit.

My Dad was a major railroad enthusiast who built railroad tracks in our yard. We often played on the various railroad construction vehicles on our own private railroad. Many times people would drive by our home on a back country, dirt road and quickly back up to see us playing on the railroad.

Between Dad's love of railroads and my parents both having summers off, we traveled as a family mostly by rail across the country each summer.

Art Lessons

My Mom was a constant teacher of drawing, painting, photography, ceramics and various sewing techniques and crafts. I always had the best, positive critiques and supplies. She taught me how to sketch and make my own drawings to color — not believing in coloring books. She took me to my first life drawing classes. Mom and Dad always supported my love of art.

Career Choice

Although I greatly enjoyed drawing and painting —and all of the fine arts, I knew it was unlikely to be a lucrative career choice. I also did not have a calling for teaching after knowing the trials and tribulations of teaching through my parents. Thus, I chose the field of graphic arts to be creatively employed while having my work benefit individuals and companies alike to achieve their advertising and marketing goals.

Philadelphia Dreaming

I came to Philadelphia in 1983 to study Visual Communications at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Classes were taught by working professionals,which appealed to me. Classes were held year-round with very few breaks. My studies included graphic design, typography, advertising, illustration, airbrush and photography just to name a few.

The classes were "old school" meaning before computer graphic design and production when everything was done by hand or photographically. The drawing and color choices for all advertising and marketing collateral was done on paper and mechanical boards to prepare for printing and pre-press, as compared to today where nearly everything is done using computer software.

It was just at the beginning of the computer revolution in the industry, and we had only one computer-related class using "Dazzle Draw" software running on an Apple IIe computer. (This was back in an era when floppy disks were indeed, floppy!) At the time it seemed very complicated and time consuming to attempt to create a very simple graphic on the computer I feared that if this was the future, I was in trouble!

I can do it...even though I don't know what you are talking about.

I started freelancing after school while looking for full-time employment. Fortunately I did some freelancing through school being a Design Group Member and having a commercial printer for a friend. I quickly learned school and the real world were not the same thing. I quickly learned to pretend to know what an employer meant by "pasting up the boards" and "using the waxer to mock up the dummies." (What?) Fortunately helpful co-workers were kind enough to explain the various tasks and related terminology.

Customer service was something I quickly came to understand. The client is always right — no matter what! As I worked with clients over the years, I learned how to solve their business issues and offer creative design solutions to meet their goals. I learned that listening and good communication skills are at least half of the abilities required to be a great graphic designer.

Name That Bulb!

My first full-time job was with Angelo Brothers Lighting. I was a staff artist responsible for creating various mechanicals (boards the printers used that had all of the elements of the catalog pages, brochures, and packaging) used in production.

With literally thousands of products in the company's line, we invented various games to help us remember part numbers such as "Name That Bulb." There were long hours filled with production and mechanical work, but I learned a great deal there and truly enjoyed the experience overall.

Clients... and Strippers?

My next full time job was with Raycraft Printing as graphic designer. I created fliers, brochures, business cards, signs, banners, and various election printing materials.

I often met with clients to see what all of their needs entailed. While at the printing company I also learned more in-depth skills related to pre-press work used by file "strippers" (not nearly as risqué as it sounds). I also learned about press checks, proofing, layout and design revisions, binding, cutting, deadlines and budgets.

Lava Lamps & Black Light Posters

Spencer Gifts was my next employer where I worked as a staff artist in the marketing department at headquarters near Atlantic City, NJ. I assisted the Creative and Art Directors with preparing packaging designs and store signage.

The company sold unusual products: gags, zany and risqué items. I never knew what slogan or packaging I may be asked to design, which certainly kept life interesting.

Of course, Halloween was a big part of the company's revenue and the photo shoots for the package designs were quite challenging under very tight deadlines.

The company was acquired and many things began to change. It wasn't long before the term "corporate down-sizing" was too well-known. I found myself familiar with job searching and the unemployment office. Fortunately, I had done some very basic designing on a couple of computers that Universal had provided Spencer Gifts which gave me the confidence to pursue opportunities that were computer-centric.

More Freelancing

I began freelancing for various restaurants, bars, ad agencies, studios and associations. I was quite familiar with customer service and found networking always lead me to more opportunities. I met with people, followed their deadlines, and worked within their budgets. One of my clients, a small design studio in New Jersey, took me on full-time.

Design Studio

I learned how to do food styling — creating attractive food photographs for advertising purposes — and also worked on photo shoots of people and products. It was a dynamic time for graphic artists; many were fearful of the burgeoning computer age while others were scrambling to acquire computer skills. The pre-press people, designers and printers were not smoothly working together. Many new problems would arise daily. As the computers and software became more sophisticated, many people without art training began doing "desktop publishing" which created a lot of ugly printed pieces and took many entry-level graphic design positions out of the market. This put even greater pressure on anyone trying to transition into the computer graphics from traditional graphic design.

A Place To Be Somebody

The design studio had some bad times and another lay off ensued. Again, I found myself freelancing and searching for full-time work.

My boyfriend (who is now my husband) lived in Delaware so I decided to look for work in Wilmington. I sent out a promotional mailing to all of the advertising agencies in the area and was able to quickly find employment at GDA Associates. I was finally an Art Director at an ad agency — something I had always wanted.

I worked with account executives, clients, copy directors and junior designers creating designs for health care and pharmaceutical clients including trade show signage, brochures, packaging, product launches and ad campaigns.

The agency was in a major growth phase and we went through many metamorphoses. However, years later we lost our largest pharmaceutical client. Business continued to decline and the agency was reduced to myself as the only designer working with one salesman.

Technology: The Way To Go

I felt very fortunate to still have a job, although it was very stressful to see all of my friends and coworkers find themselves suddenly without jobs. The salesman and I were responsible for keeping existing projects on the go, finding new clients and projects, cleaning and clearing the entire office and moving back to our original location. I was now on the Mac as well as the PC.

When my best friend from school, Lynne Martin (my sister) called me to interview for a job at Bluestone Software I was more than interested in the opportunity. The interview went very well and I knew I had the job that evening.

Bluestone was the most creative and challenging job I have ever had. I was an Art Director and Production Coordinator. I had countless projects going on at all times from start to finish. I attended press checks, met with Sales, Marketing, Finance and Human Resources for any and all projects they needed designed and printed.

It was a great time for technology companies and there were rarely any limitations to my designs or budget constraints. I was able to be completely creative and work to define the young company's brand while reinforcing our changing messaging during very innovative times. The company was fast-paced, cutting-edge and so the slogan "Bluestone Rocks" became part of our messaging.

Bluestone HP, Not HP Bluestone

Nothing stays the same, and after going public we were acquired by Hewlett-Packard. Slowly but surely the company's atmosphere and fun-filled ways changed. There were many enforced design rules from Hewlett-Packard's corporate office.

Fortunately, I still had the pleasure of working with many talented professionals during the entire time for both companies. I did greatly enjoy being part of global product launches and I learned a great deal.

In time, Hewlett-Packard decided to eliminate our division. I was once again pounding the pavement. As I had done in the past, I began freelancing for individuals, companies, and former coworkers as they landed at new companies.

Present "Home"

I currently work in the advertising/marketing department of Patterson-Schwartz, a real estate company in Delaware. You can see some of the work I've done while at Patterson-Schwartz by reviewing the real estate industry page in my portfolio.

Although my career path may seem to be unplanned and reactionary based on shut-downs, acquisitions and market fluctuations, I have always had one goal throughout my career that I feel I have achieved: Learn something new every day and from everyone you work with. My diverse work history has provided me with such a range of responsibilities across very different industries and environments — all culminating in a wealth of skills that I used every day on the job.

Gordy Graphics

Through Gordy Graphics, I provide graphic design and production services for businesses and individuals. My strong design and print production background allow me to design and produce high-quality of designs for your company at a fraction of the price charged by large agencies and design studios. I also can provide the personal level of attention that these larger companies lack. I invite you to review the various services I offer.

In addition to graphic and print design, I also create fine art pieces by request and can meet with you to discuss your needs. Whether you require a personal, one-of-a-kind gift for someone special, or you would like a piece of original artwork to complement your home or office, I hope you'll consider contacting me.