Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Who's Who | Meet Karen L. Herzig


As we head into Thanksgiving week, we give thanks to our amazing team here at William Arthur. And, as promised... from time to time, we will interview someone from our team. Today, we are happy to introduce you to Karen L. Herzig. Karen is the Design Manager of Personalized Product & Web.

We decided to ask Karen some fun questions:

Current and recent projects: I have been a designer with William Arthur for over fifteen years. My design focus has been primarily on Wedding and Invitations. Recently, I designed the new William Arthur Invitations & Announcements Album Vol. II, which was a tremendously fun, albeit challenging, project!


It involved totally new processes for our company by utilizing our new digital press, and it expanded the color boundaries for our consumers by offering multiple paper layers to mix and match. We introduced an exciting new calligraphic font, new ribbons and digitally printed, customizable envelope linings as well!

I also just finished designing the new Wedding Album Vol. I that will ship to our retailers in January. Since I designed the original Wedding album, creating this album was like visiting with an old friend, with new stories to tell! We hope the new album will excite our dealers and consumers with its modern twist on classic designs.

Last thing you bought
: A piece of wrought iron as a gift.

Current obsession: I love the botanical richness of damask. Its endless possibilities astound me.

Favorite vacation spot:
Oh, that's a tough one since I have several favorites and they are so different. I do love to be near the ocean and am happy that my current home in Kennebunk affords me easy access to numerous beautiful beaches! I lived on Cape Cod for over ten years, and it is one of my most favorite places in the world. The ocean, light, and air on the Cape are different than anywhere else.

I recently visited my son who attends the Ringling School of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida. The beauty of that area is stunning, and the art community is flourishing. Also, I visited my older son, who was doing a semester abroad in Siena, Italy! How lucky was I to get to visit him there. We immersed ourselves in the culture of Siena {an incredible medieval town, which is truly Sienna-colored!}. And, we visited Florence and spent a day in the Uffizi Gallery, then off for espresso! What could be better?


Listening to: Mostly NPR at home! I love the Prairie Home Companion—Garrison Keillor is brilliant. I have rather diverse musical tastes ranging from jazz to Bruce Springsteen to Joss Stone. My mood influences my choice of music.

< {Please click button to hear a Thanksgiving podcast and the song, Autumn in New York.}

Inspiring artist: John Singer Sargent is one of my favorite artists. I can get lost in his paintings for hours. I also enjoy the inspiring art of my friends—Melissa Pritchard who is an amazing collage artist and illustrator, and David Evans who is a gifted watercolor artist.

Can't live without: Anyone who knows me, knows it's coffee. Secondarily, a good book! {Karen's favorite coffee is the Black Thunder brew made by Coffee-By-Design based in Portland, Maine, and her current read is Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout}.

Most precious belonging:

A photographic print my son took in Italy of a simple home in amazing ochre colors, and a pen and ink illustration my other son did of a sea turtle.



Favorite Shape: The delicate shape of a snowflake.

Color of the moment: I'm influenced by the seasons, and fall makes me love deep and vibrant orange hues.


Museum Pick:
Sterling & Francine Clark Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts where I spent many hours in my college days. It's a gem set in the hills of the Berkshires.

Favorite time of day: Twilight. The light and sky can range from serene to dramatic.

Thing about design you already knew at age 18: That you must always look with fresh eyes and an open mind and you will see something you might have missed before. And... that great composition creates a visceral reaction.



Images: Google, Flickr, Karen L. Herzig, and William Arthur


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