Think Tank Creative is a woman-owned, mom-powered boutique design company. For more than 20 years, Jacki has been creating design solutions for clients in the association world.
Her experience ranges from a junior-level designer, creating event marketing collateral, to art direction and business development at the agency level.
Through her 20-plus years of experience, Jacki has a deep understanding of what makes business publications successful. It’s not just about having the most creative design. It’s not just about being in the know with the latest design trends. It’s about taking those pieces and putting them together to create design that works.
Always a lover of puzzles, Jacki looks at each design challenge as its own unique puzzle. What conveys this data best? How does this image fit with this text? These are the challenges that make her brain come alive and this is the work she wants to do for you.
Jacki has worked with more than 100 companies, including design agencies, associations, non-profits and small businesses, but her focus has always remained results-oriented design. Jacki began Think Tank Creative in 2003. A young, 20-something junior level designer received an unsolicited phone call from a nearby design agency asking if she freelanced. "Why not?," she thought. She met with two far more experienced designers where she quoted an hourly rate of $10/hour and was promptly told her work and education were worth more than that. From there, her freelance business took off and in 2012, Jacki shifted her freelance work to her full-time job. In 2016, Jacki and her husband welcomed their daughter and post-pandemic, Jacki's focus shifted to family. Today, she still infuses graphic design into her every day, but with projects that challenge her and feeds into her love of puzzles.
For the past 12 years, Austin has run the security detail. It may seem like an easy job for a home-based company, but Austin is a tireless worker. Delivery people? Voices on speakerphone on a conference call? Leaf blowing down the street? None of these security concerns avoid a stern warning from this security officer. His morning patrol begins on the stairs, where each passing car is warned about getting too close. Then, he moves on to door duty, where his warning barks splatter the glass with a protective film preventing anyone from seeing in (or out). As the day warms up, Austin sets up on the deck where he is able to see an aerial view of the rear perimeter. In the evening, he continues his watch snuggled up at the feet of his humans ready to bark at any potential threat.
With three years of service under his collar, Graham has made his mark in HR. He is very involved in the physical well-being around the office. He has daily demands for walks where he encourages frequent stops to smell the flowers. There is no round-the-clock work with Graham around — he makes sure the daily 11:15 am lunch break is respected and the humans are home for dinner promptly at 6 pm. Employee engagement is another area that draws his focus -- he makes sure to do multiple check-ins each day and encourages one-on-one games of ball or tug when he senses the need for a break. Employee morale is higher than ever, thanks to his goofy antics around the office.