After studying Art Education at UNC Pembroke and East Tennessee State University, Vicki Shell answered the call of the west and headed to Santa Fe, New Mexico for a few years. Her first job there was painting a mural in a restaurant where her talent was quickly noticed, and she soon landed at a professional ad agency. She continued developing her skills in graphic design after moving back home to the family print shop in Johnson City, TN, and she opened her own advertising business in 1986.
What started off as a single shingle soon became the region’s first full-service ad agency. Transitioning into the digital age from drafting board to computer screens, Vicki and her team won hundreds of local, regional, and national ad awards, including a Strathmore Award and The Governor’s Art Award.
After years of designing product packaging and even milk cartons, Vicki can attractively arrange large amounts of information, or help condense it for more minimal presentation. With an in-depth understanding of color psychology and a passion for typography and copy-fitting, Vicki’s uncommon designs will help you cut through the clutter with an unforgettable identity that translates across all media.
When she’s not in the agency studio, you will find her whittling away on a gourd or playing mandolin or fiddle in her bluegrass band, or building the Boones Creek Opry & Museum with her little blue merle corgi Dottie Rambo.
Vicki Shell, Creative Director