Lettering Works - 2021 Year in Review
It’s finally time to say goodbye to 2021 - a year that much too closely resembled 2020. I am very grateful that I took the time on a weekly and monthly basis to reflect on the small wins and lessons learned. It made for an easier setup to reflecting on the year as a whole and helped me see the many little silver linings that were present throughout the many challenges of a second year living through a global pandemic.
GovCon-Airports Graduation
Custom postcards at the Chicago History Museum
2021 was filled with even more learning and planning for growth. Most memorable moments included launching Self-Made Artist Academy, pitching to Walgreens, doing more kidney-centric design work, listening to 60+ audiobooks, and becoming ACDBE/DBE certified with the City of Chicago.
A lot of BIG things happened!
Top 21 Highlights from 2021:
Became ACDBE/DBE Certified with the City of Chicago
Launched Self-Made Artist Academy and enrolled over 25 students
Delivered 14 new custom sticker designs to the Field Museum and the Chicago History Museum
Listened to 60 audiobooks
Graduated from the WBDC’s GovCon-Airports and Top Shelf Retail programs
Pitched to Walgreens
Started selling our plant stickers at Garfield Park Conservatory
Worked with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois to rebrand one of their educational programs
Advocated for kidney disease awareness through sharing our story on The Journey Continues podcast
Joined the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) and attended their annual conference
Launched Mental Health Matters, Disability Pride, and a handful of vaccine designs
Celebrated 14 years post spinal-fusion surgery (exactly half my lifetime ago)
Launched two mini courses: Are You on Brand? and The Power of Passion Projects
Celebrated FIVE years in business (and two and a half years in Chicago)
Participated in two local artist pop-ups at Madewell on Southport
Joined Faire and increased wholesale accounts
Educated artists through four Instagram Lives, a pricing webinar, and leading the Business of Art event in Central Illinois virtually
Worked with Columbia College Master of Arts Management students on a strategic plan for Lettering Works
Refreshed the Lettering Works website (and refined offerings for 2022)
Met monthly with an incredible mentor through the Next Level Exchange program
Joined the Museum Store Association (MSA) with plans to focus on expanding to more museum gift shops in 2022
Chicago History Museum Building Illustration
Thank you to our clients who trusted us this year to help accomplish their creative goals. From vibrant branding projects to custom designed museum merchandise to more work for kidney disease and chronic illness advocacy - it was such a joy to bring your brands to life with artistic and strategic visuals.
Project highlights from 2021:
• Arts Business Consulting Sessions
• Promotional designs for the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
• Rebranding Living with Kidney Disease and Transplantation (one of the National Kidney Foundation’s signature educational programs) and other kidney-centric designs
• Educational webinars with the WBDC
• Logo designs for woman-owned businesses: CareStruck Communications, Live Learn Dream, and Swooft!
• Expanded branding for Hoop House Creative
• PKD Infographic for Palladio Biosciences
• Various custom lettering for The Nora Project, Marty Wombacher, and author J. Kirk Perry
• A mural concept for a local daycare
• Vibrant art history inspired branding for Doughnut Gallery
• Continued custom lettering for a global recruitment campaign
• T-Shirt design for the Demand Accessible Space Collection
• City-inspired artwork for Riverside and Reno-Tahoe
• Branding (and the most fun hand-drawn vegetable pattern) for Radish Kitchen
Vaccine Designs
Passion Projects are still our jam. And there’s no better time to start a new passion project than during a global pandemic.
Passion Projects from 2021:
• Vaccine Designs
• (New additions to) Cool Beans
• Disability Pride
• Mental Health Matters
Naples Florida Design
Gondolier Inn Illustration
We limited travel in 2021, but were able to visit family and friends in Naples, Milwaukee, Peoria, St. Louis, and Denver. To fuel the need for creative inspiration and exploration, we took a staycation in May and then took time monthly through the rest of the year to explore new parts of Chicago.
Amid the slowness of this year, I continued to prioritize health - which included getting an MRA brain scan (requested from my nephrologist), starting personal therapy, getting two cysts removed from my head by my dermatologist, and getting an echocardiogram (requested from my rheumatologist).
Podcast episodes + interviews from 2021:
• This is Not Advice Podcast
• How to Take a Break Podcast
• The Journey Continues
• PKD Foundation
• Too Legitimate to Quit
Looking Ahead…
Here’s to hoping that all of the hard work (and extensive learning) we did in 2021 pays off in 2022. We are most excited to narrow our focus to three main offerings:
Branding for artists and creative businesses
Wholesale + custom merchandise (with a focus on museum stores)
Online courses for artists (SMAA will be relaunching in the new year)
Stay tuned for more creative work to come. If you are in need of a brand makeover or custom branded merchandise, you can book us for a project via our contact form.
ABOUT THE OWNER
Chelsie Tamms is an award-winning lettering artist and designer based out of Chicago. She is the owner of Lettering Works, a branding studio that connects businesses to their audience through creativity and strategy. With over 10 years of practice of lettering and design, Chelsie is passionate about craft and intention. When she’s not designing, she can be found eating ice cream, traveling internationally, or starting a new passion project.
