Hi, I’m Deb. I’m a designer.
My background is in editorial design. I started my career as a Design Editor at The Globe and Mail (love Toronto) and since then, I’ve worked at a few newspapers and magazines including this newspaper, this travel magazine and this travel magazine.
For almost a decade, I ran a small design shop designing websites, books, and marketing materials for photographers around the world. I also designed and sold paper goods through Minted (This one was featured in InStyle magazine). I’ve been a professor (love teaching), a speaker, and wrote a series of articles about marketing and branding for photographers for the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA).
The Lovely Ferns was born as an effort to share some of my personal health journeys, experiences, creations, and lessons as I made my way through what felt like a massive time of transition. When I started this blog, I had started classes at Maryland University for Integrative Health. My plan was to graduate with an M.S. in Nutrition and Integrative Health; take the CNS exam and become a licensed Clinical Nutrition Specialist.
Plans are plans. New York state laws regarding remote learning threw a monkey wrench into my plans so, after some research and re-evaluation, I figured out a new path. During my studies at MUIH, I wrote a lot of papers about health and stumbled upon articles about the design of hospitals, the frustration of the patient experience, and the social determinants of health. Design for Care: Innovating Healthcare Experience, a book by Peter Jones, associate professor at Toronto’s OCAD University, inspired me to go back to school.
Currently, I am a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) candidate at the University of Miami, School of Communication. I am also a Graduate Research Assistant for Dr. Barbara Millet in the UX Lab. This isn’t a traditional fine art degree. It’s a rigorous STEM degree and I couldn’t be happier about my decision to attend.
I returned to school to fill in my knowledge gaps: user research, the human centered and user centered design process, and emerging technologies. The big surprise: a growing passion and love for data visualization. Thank you, Alberto.
My hope is to return to academia. I’ve always enjoyed teaching and my experience at UM has inspired me to return. I have a passion for the health space and how design can improve the health and well-being of individuals and populations. Graduation is May 2020 and I’m open to relocating in the U.S. (Pacific Northwest is my ideal), Canada, or abroad.
I’m married to this endearing man and we share a home in Upstate New York with a Russian Blue Tabby mix and our “wiggle butt” beagle.
You can find me on Twitter, and Instagram and Instagram. I love to walk, ride my bike, cook, and on occasion, write some poetry.
Interested in my design work? See my portfolio here and here.
Please, say hello.