About
BEGINNINGS
Creative Beginnings
One sunny day, Adri was just about to go out the door to elementary school, when her Mom said,
“I need a drawing for the article I’m sending out today. Can you sketch something quickly?”
Grabbing a black marker, Adri drew a pen-and-ink sketch, gave it to her Mom, and dashed out the door never giving it another thought. What a surprise when the final article arrived, there was Adri’s drawing – big as life – in a magazine!
While developing her flowing pen and ink drawings during high school, Adri illustrated many school newspaper covers. Fellow students loved her art so much that she was even offered money for her Narnia-inspired drawings that she created in class!
European Influences
Growing up in both Belgium and Holland, Adri traveled throughout Europe and even got to visit Morocco. She saw Marimekko-style designs in the 70’s and was inspired by the bright, bold, and simple images. It’s why she loves to create with bright and happy colours.
While overseas, Adri visited her paternal grandfather often, a fancy pastry baker and artist. He made delicious pastries and had art hanging on the walls throughout his home.
On the opposite extreme, the cozy Dutch homes with their sparkling windows, short lace curtains, and warmth also spoke to her. Maybe that’s why she enjoys creating projects that feel inviting and create a comfortable space for people.
On the other side of the family, Adri’s Canadian maternal great-grandmother took up painting in her 80’s. It’s no surprise then that Adri has creativity in her genes!
EDUCATION
Loving to Learn... Ever Curious
Art & Communications
Adri received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Toronto and took courses in illustration, perspective, and logo design at the (then) Ontario College of Art.
Not long after, Adri earned an M.A. in Communications/Journalism from Wheaton College Graduate School in Illinois. She studied communication theory, screen writing, creative writing, and media studies (which took place in England and The Netherlands to compare media systems). To finish off the program, Adri’s thesis focussed on women missionaries who experienced cross-cultural re-entry.
Photography
A life-long learner, Adri wanted to be able to capture the visual merchandising retail displays properly. As a result, she decided to take photography at the Continuing Education Department of Conestoga College. There she has enjoyed a variety of classes including:
– commercial studio photography
– Adobe Photoshop
– practical digital imaging
In 2014, Adri took the Digital II photography course, and was thrilled to receive 90%.
EXPERIENCE
Strategy & Creativity
Display Designer & Merchandiser
For over seven years, Adri was a display designer and visual merchandiser for a bookstore company with multiple locations. She was responsible for creating strategic designs for seasonal in-store and window displays and large-scale sale events.
Visual Storytelling in Retail
In order to display the product well, Adri asked herself, “How do I tell the story of the item, so the customer can see what it is about?” Once the story emerged, she drew the designs, sourced the props (or in many cases made her own), organized the product, and photographed it all when the display was finished.
Strategizing
For key event displays, Adri also collaborated with the buyer for product selection and price. Working together, they created a display and then checked the sales results. Adri was always excited to see that when the display,product selection, and price all worked together, it resulted in a higher sell-through.
Stylist & Contributing Editor
As a visual merchandiser, much of Adri’s inspiration came from magazine photography. So, getting to work behind the scenes at Scrapbooking & Cards Today (SCT) Magazine – styling pages and working on photo shoots as a Contributing Design Editor was a thrill. How exciting…visualizing the scene, bringing it to life, hearing the “click” of the camera, viewing the the result… if not right, repeat until perfect!
You can find Adri’s pirate theme for Scrapbooking & Cards Today magazine which features Adri’s craft designs and backdrop painting here.
Other published projects with SCT include a two-page birthday party spread, and several articles.
Adri’s papercrafts have also been published in Papercrafts Magazine.
“Why do signs always have to be rectangular? What if they stand out better if they are round?”
Event Design & Management
Using Adri’s experience merchandising large spaces, sometimes as large as 10,000 sq. feet, Adri managed and designed events from a large international conference to smaller educationally focused ones. She incorporated a unique creative twist to each.
Sometimes it meant creating unique event signage by questioning what would be the most effective so that the attendees would be able to see the information quickly. For example, Adri would ask;
“Why do signs always have to be rectangular? What if they stand out against modern decor better if they are round?
At the event, it means paying attention to the little details such as small gifts designed to end each event memorably.
The result? A positive customer experience. Attendees feel welcome, cared for, and able to absorb what they are learning.
MARKETING
Storytelling and Website Design
The Journey Comes Full Circle
Adri saw the strands of her journey come together while working at that (then) Laurier School of Business and Economics. She realized that, once again she was using imagery to enhance writing, just like she did with her Mom’s article. This time, using design.
Website Design
At the (then) Laurier Executive Development Centre (LEDC), Adri absorbed everything about business planning and marketing strategy. She learned that a strong foundation based on the audience is key.
While designing the e-commerce Drupal website for the LEDC, Adri incorporated visuals that had already been seen offline in the well received leave-behind brochure. She didn’t stop there, that same imagery was used on parchment paper for the final graduation certificates at the finale event too. The visual story consistently communicated the brand throughout all of the ways the customer would encounter the LEDC, offline or online.
Websites that Help People
After experiencing website design at the LEDC, Adri was hooked! The immediacy of the digital visual story was compelling. Here was a way to create connections and conversation, use her love of the visual story, and even her writing as she soon would find herself coming up with copy for part of the Heidi Brannan Website project.
Bringing Your Story to Life
What about your story? How can Adri help you develop your powerful narrative?
Does your website project want to make a difference?Adri is drawn to projects that aim to help people grow, change, make their lives better, and maybe even realize their dreams.
Adri can come along side, help you communicate your story well, use her keen eye for editing visuals, create warm, yet professional wording, and empathize with your customer thinking of the user experience (UX).
Want to know more? Read about The Process of Bringing Your Story to Life.