Sarah M
Designer #5462
Joined 6/14/2012
6 Star Rating
6,400 Projects
Sarah has been working with WriterAccess as a copywriter on and off for nearly a decade, but in the last few years, she's transitioned from writing to design and illustration.

There was a significant emphasis on design in both her education and journalism master's programs, as both prioritized communication of ideas. However, it was in her journalism program that she learned the fundamentals of professional design, from Adobe Creative Suite, to photography and photo manipulation, to HTML and CSS.

Following graduate school, she worked as a writer for WA and private clients, the latter of which frequently requested design collateral as well. Over the next decade, she learned to use Canva and Krita proficiently and deepened her knowledge of Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop. Of course, there's always more to learn, but that's part of what she loves about this field!

She has created countless illustrations, wireframes, websites, logos, brochures, infographics, newsletters, and more. While she is very comfortable with digital programs, her preference is design that incorporates a hand-drawn feel. Where she can't find the right graphics through a service, she draws or paints them by hand, ensuring her clients always have fresh material they can't find anywhere else, with a light touch that can steer fanciful or sober, depending on the client's needs. She also provides hand-drawn and -painted items on request, digital collage and illustration, and custom projects of all types.
Graphic Designer
Illustrator
Illustration: Hand Drawn
Humor
Illustration: Digital
Publishing
Green Living
Green Products
Cooking/Beverage
Food
12 More

Specialties

Over the years, Sarah has worked with nearly every type of business under the sun, but her main focuses are on food, green living, education, family and baby, travel and whimsical illustration projects. She excels at taking a vision, no matter how vague, and turning it into fully realized imagery that meets the client's vision.

Her work focuses mainly on the branding aspect of design. It is Sarah's passion to turn a client's idea into well-researched and marketable colors, fonts, guiding words and imagery. She does so through wireframing websites, creating stylesheets, sourcing images and graphics, designing logos and brand collateral, and more.

She offers website building for select clients only. Feel free to ask, and if we are a good fit, she will be happy to talk to you about taking on the extensive 10-50 hour task of creating your perfect site!

Interests

Sarah is drawn to the kitchen, the studio and the outdoors. When she's not designing or painting, she is in the kitchen trying new recipes or hiking in her neighborhood or the wilderness.

Her passion for the things that nourish us, from food to nature to art, shines through her work. From the beginning, she has been drawn to imagery that pulls from our deepest truths: our food and drink, the world we live in, the environment, family and the arts.

Education

Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon

Sarah's bachelor's degree focused on a wide swath of the liberal arts, including fine art and design.

Portland State University

Portland State University has an excellent master's teaching program. Not only did Sarah learn the fundamentals of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, she engaged in multiple design projects to help bring literacy and art skills into the classroom. My specialties were in design, environment and writing, and it was here that she learned the basics of website building, branding and large-scale magazine and project spreads.

Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University

Sarah's master's in journalism from one of the best programs in the country taught her extensive design skills, from digital illustration to hand-drawn images to photography. She learned to create compelling images and spreads through InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. Her projects included magazine spreads, scientific publications, photo manipulation, line drawing and more.

Humor

500 Projects Completed

One of Sarah's main focuses here at WriterAccess, completing more than 5,000 writing assignments, was humor. She likes to bring this into her design as well, with playful imagery and fun collages. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting funny people of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analogue media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Green Living

400 Projects Completed

Sarah's master's in journalism focused on organic gardening and green living. She has worked with dozens of experts and small businesses on hundreds of projects, including websites, wireframes, brand packaging and stylesheets, flyers and brochures, logos and more. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting green living experts of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Publishing

400 Projects Completed

Sarah has a huge range of experience in the publishing industry. She has helped to create book covers, craft marketing campaigns and images for booksellers and authors, put together compelling blog posts to promote books and events. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting authors and presses of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Green Products

400 Projects Completed

Sarah has worked extensively in the environmental industry, from green roofs to sustainable landscaping to habitat restoration. Additionally, she has worked for sustainable kitchenware companies using bamboo and natural fibers, toiletry and clothing lines, babywear and more. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting green businesses of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Education

300 Projects Completed

Sarah has worked with educators from teachers to authors to administrators to outside consultants on projects that help inform the public, bring cohesive pedagogy into schools, and unite academics through conferences and articles. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting educators of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Cooking/Beverage

300 Projects Completed

The food and beverage industry is one of Sarah's favorites. From restaurant review photography to artisanal business branding to hand-painted imagery, her work showcases the best and brightest of food creation and enjoyment. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting foodies of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Food

300 Projects Completed

The food and beverage industry is one of Sarah's favorites. From restaurant review photography to artisanal business branding to hand-painted imagery, her work showcases the best and brightest of food creation and enjoyment. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting foodies of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Garden

200 Projects Completed

Sarah has worked extensively in the gardening industry with nursery owners, small plant growers, native gardeners, landscapers, hardscapers and suppliers. Her projects range from website wireframing, branding, infographics and other collateral. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting gardeners of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Real Estate

200 Projects Completed

From real estate agents to firms, apartment managers to private owners, Sarah's experience in real estate and rentals is extensive. She has created wireframes, brand packages, logos and web copy to suit all tastes. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting real estate professionals of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Science

200 Projects Completed

Science is one of Sarah's passions, and one of the focuses of her graduate degree in journalism. She brings her master's of education into her scientific design as well, helping to make the difficult accessible with business branding, illustrations and more. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting scientists and publications of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Craft

100 Projects Completed

Sarah has worked with seamstresses, scrapbook and journal artists, painters and more to help them craft cohesive brand packages that showcase their work to best advantage. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting artists and crafters of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Agriculture

100 Projects Completed

After working with a huge variety of growers and agricultural experts – from farmers to distributors to scientists – Sarah has a solid understanding of agricultural theory, conventional and organic farming, and farm-to-table produce. She has created articles, branding, websites, infographics and flyers. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting growers of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Lifestyle

100 Projects Completed

From yoga gurus to nutritionists to interior designers to outdoor living experts, Sarah has worked with many people related to lifestyle. She is well-versed in healthy living, city and rural dwellings, routines and fitness, and much more. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting lifestyle experts of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Tax

100 Projects Completed

Taxes are a difficult industry to get right. Although often perceived as dry or boring, the tax industry is a varied field requiring an extensive amount of knowledge. The huge variety of forms, the changing laws and the amount of in-depth intuition needed to succeed in this field is reflected in Sarah's branding and web design. Sarah creates one-of-a-kind work that helps your business attract the right clients and thrive.

Illustration: Digital

500 Projects Completed

Sarah's prowess with digital illustration has been honed over more than a decade. Using a variety of software and art styles, she can create simple to complex visual imagery to meet client needs. Her style tends toward the lighter and airier, though she has plenty of experience creating straightforward, simple content for more serious businesses such as sales, taxes and education.

Illustration: Hand Drawn

500 Projects Completed

Sarah has created countless hand-drawn images for clients. First she paints or draws them by hand on fine art paper, then scans them into the computer using a high-quality printer. This transforms them into high-resolution digital files that can be cropped, manipulated and used in a huge variety of projects. Sarah can either deliver the illustrated files straight to you, or use them in projects ranging from brochures to brand packages to websites.

Wireframe

100 Projects Completed

After building websites for almost ten years using a variety of WYSIWYG companies as well as coding by hand, Sarah works mainly on the design side now creating wireframes. Each wireframe uses the brand design put together by Sarah or another designer with whom you've contracted to forge a cohesive experience your clients and customers will love. Wireframes come with one round of edits, after which you can take them to your designer to turn into a website. For select clients, Sarah will consider building the website herself, but usually doesn't have space in her schedule.

Infographics

100 Projects Completed

Infographics are one of Sarah's favorite types of content to make. They combine a lot of information in a small space along with selective imagery to generate thoughtful interaction with the reader. A good infographic requires expertise to ensure the right amount of info without overwhelm, as well as a pleasing visual experience, which is proven to draw customers in. Sarah excels in all of this and can help you create the infographics you need today.

Advertisement

50 Projects Completed

Finding the right clients and customers is key to any successful business. Whether you need ad design for magazines, online sites or other collateral, Sarah can help. Her work is streamlined but airy, perfectly complimenting companies of all types. Each project is unique, with a huge variety of line drawings, watercolor images, graphics and more to choose from. Where she can't find the perfect material, she paints or designs it herself using a variety of digital and analog media, so you can always trust your project is 100% one-of-a-kind.

Brochure

50 Projects Completed

Many companies come to Sarah for help creating flyers and brochures to help advertise their businesses and draw in potential customers. A good brochure is all about the right mix of visual imagery, from photos to line drawings to rich illustrations, along with text of various fonts and sizes. Together, these media convey a powerful sense of the company and its benefits to the reader.

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