I had the good fortune to receive an education in art and psychology that trained me to be a visual thinker. That was followed by corporate experience that taught me the value of listening, collaboration, and teamwork.
In the winter of 1992, I left the corporate world to start my own illustration business. At the time, my focus was the greeting card industry, and eventually I published, marketed, and distributed several lines under the Y Art Works label. During the next eight years, Y Art greeting cards were sold in many venues from small independent bookstores, like Elliott Bay Books, in Seattle, to large national retail chains, like Borders Books, Whole Foods Market, Nordstrom, and Papyrus.
I was especially happy when my work was noticed by the UNICEF Greeting Card Division, and over the next several years 15 of my designs were published in different countries to raise money for the world's children. My involvement with UNICEF continued locally when I volunteered my services for the fundraising event The Art of Change with the local Seattle Chapter of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Another career milestone was the release of a CD-ROM of stock illustration through Corbis Images.
Wherever you think you're going, sometimes life has a funny way of taking you somewhere else. For me that meant, after eight years, 300 greeting card designs, and a few more notches in my belt, I began getting requests from businesses to design everything from identities to trade show booths. This was about the same time that business was looking to the Internet as the next great communication and marketing tool, so I learned my way around a web site.
Today, Y Art Works is a full service design studio based in Seattle, Washington. With a virtual cast of thousands, I provide my clients everything from concept and strategy to marketing/PR copy, web sites, identity packages and print collateral. I draw on my own skills and put together expert teams, as projects require. That means my clients get the benefit of top-drawer skills and service - like those of code gurus Jon Robinson, and Nathan Leggatt without having to pay for big agency overhead. My clients get the kind of service and support that money doesn't often buy.
I still take on illustration projects and continue to design greeting cards that are published by Sunrise Greetings. Please contact me for information on licensing.
I admit that predicting the future is not my greatest talent, but I am eager and optimistic. Certainly the future can be counted on to bring many more great clients. Certainly there will be new opportunities to learn and play. To borrow a line from one of my best selling cards - the future is uncertain, be happy now.
© 2008 Yasmine Rafii | Y-Art Works
206.937.3417
Graphic Designers
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