About Sue

In short, I have worked in the field of communication arts
(aka corporate graphic design)
throughout my entire career.

A Very Chatty, Conversational Version of Sue Wallis Williams’ Long and Winding Graphic Design Road

Starting with an internship at W. Roberts Design about a million years ago, when the concept of having a career in “communication arts” was my dream, these extremely discerning, transplanted New York designers “generously” took me under their wing, right out of Southern Illinois University’s Department of Design.

(Fun fact: When I was an underclassman at SIU, Buckminster Fuller was famously affiliated with our design department when our classrooms were connected domes.)

I was in my senior year at SIU when I first learned of an opportunity to move to California and get paid to work at an exceptional design studio.

It was supposed to be a temporary gig, but I had just driven across the country in a friend’s ‘65 Mustang from Chicago to Hermosa Beach, having the time of my life zigzagging across the country. There was no way I was going back. Fortunately for me, I was ultimately hired at this excellent design studio and stayed with them for a few years.

I’ve had the very good fortune to work for some of the most highly-regarded, talented, creative, and accomplished professionals that most any graphic designer would love to have had that level of on-the-job training.

As a result, my design and marketing skills have been honed by working with the best Los Angeles-based international advertising agencies and quality marketing firms.

In the very early stages of my career, I freelanced at many top agencies, including J. Walter Thompson, Ayer, Jorgenson & McDonald, and plenty of others. I also had full-time employment at multinational corporations like Computer Sciences Corporation and TRW’s International Marketing, as well as working contractually with a few educational publishing companies, real estate agencies, and design boutiques.

One of my favorite freelance gigs - I lucked into - was working on the movie, Kentucky Fried Movie, as a graphic artist with zero movie experience, and not particularly skilled at the projects I had been assigned. I was very fortunate to have been good friends with the movie’s producer, a brilliant, kind, and funny guy. We had both attended SIU and also spent time together working as volunteers for The Committee for the Future.

As volunteers, we traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., to produce two separate SynCon’s (Synergetic Convergences). I was the sole graphic designer for the evening news broadcast.

Another gig I was so lucky to have had was working at The Box Office in West Hollywood with two very talented advertising creatives. We were the boutique agency for Chiat/Day (in LA). Clients included Hollywood Park, SunKist Oranges, and others that I no longer recall.

What I do recall very clearly, however, was working in West Hollywood doing exceptional work with two of the funniest men in the business. They told me that they hired me because I laughed at their jokes, which still makes me smile!

Other full-time positions that remain memorable include TRW/International Marketing, Computer Sciences Corporation, A&A Typography, The CDM Company, Greenlight Advertising, and Engle Advertising (located on the Venice Boardwalk—too much fun), and I’ll probably remember more eventually since work was abundant in Los Angeles during this time.

“Graphic design” (through most of my career) actually required skills and education. The production work was done on a drawing board, often with a triangle, t-square, and Rapidograph pen. Design concepts usually started with sketching on paper with a tool known as a “pencil”.

btw, I’m not nostalgic for these tools.

I wouldn’t trade my Mac for all the T-squares in China.