About Me

I’m Amy Shock (shocking, right?), aka Runderella. Runderella is a nickname given to me by fellow graphic designers at the HOW Design Conference years ago. I wore jeans & race (or design) t-shirts throughout the conference. Of course, when I went out for a run, I wore a running skirt, a nicer tech shirt, and new-ish matching running shoes. It must have been a surprising transformation—just like Cinderella going to the ball.

So now that that’s out of the way, here’s what you probably really want to know about me…

I am always looking for new design clients! I can do small 1-time projects (brochures, postcards, t-shirts, or pins), large 1-time projects (graphics and print materials for a single marketing campaign), or larger on-going projects (brand identity and ongoing brand management).

I have a print-perfect record. Every single PDF I have sent to press has been error free since my very first print-ready PDF in 2000. That’s thanks to Bryan Toms, Account Manager Extraordinaire. He taught me everything I really needed to know about prepress. He’s at ITP in Ephrata, PA. If you need a printer that really cares about quality and serving you, give him a call.

I really like to help others reach their goals. I completely geek out when I find a way to help others grow their business through my core skills (print design, marketing, illustration, and writing). I also love to use these skills to help cut costs and beat even the tightest deadline.

I don’t believe in settling for good enough. If I’m going to do something, I want to give it my full attention and complete it to the very best of my abilities. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time and a personal embarassment.

I believe in direct, honest communication. If the work I do misses your target, tell me. You won’t hurt my feelings…but you will frustrate me if you are worried about hurting my feelings. My designs are not me. I get that, and I hope you do, too. Of course, if the directions you give me are unclear or go against design standards, I’ll let you know.

I also believe in listening. Solutions are often overlooked when we worry about what we’re going to say next or proving that we are right. I will never fully understand your perspective if I don’t listen to you.

I don’t believe in wasting time in a negative experience. If either of us ends up frequently frustrated while working together, it’s not a good fit. Either we need to clarify expectations or call it off. Life is short and loaded with unavoidable frustration. I don’t want either of us to add unnecessary suffering to the limited time we have. (All design contracts include specific details.)

I am always eager to learn more and experience new things. In fact, Saturdays are currently dedicated to searching out design inspiration or learning something new…and my long run, of course!

I completely “geek out” on creativity and love a real design challenge. If I take on your project, I will geek out on it.

Into the personality test? Here’s how I rated at the moment* I took each of these:
Myers-Briggs: ENFP-A
DiSC: Inspirational Pattern
Fascinate: Primary Advantage—Innovation, Secondary Advantage—Prestige (Archetype—The Trendsetter)
Strengths Finder Top 5: Strategic, Maximizer, Ideation, Input, Self-Assurance

*I don’t put too much weight on these labels. They tend to result in a box of sorts. I promise that while some of these labels do offer insights into who I am and how I operate, none of them really describes me (or anyone else) perfectly.