I’m Amy Shock, aka Runderella. Why Runderella? Picture it. Atlanta. 2007. All the greatest creative minds in design are gathering for the HOW Design Conference. I show up for the Day 1 sessions in jeans and a race t-shirt. Once the sessions wrapped up, I grabbed my running gear—a running skirt with coordinating tech shirt and Nikes to get a few miles in. Other attendees pointed out that it was a surprising transformation—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’m 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 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 don’t tell me if something isn’t working because you’re 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 won’t help you reach your goal, 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’m always excited to learn about 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.