Amy Kreft Green
The minute I walked into my first book arts class in college where I caught the scent of ink and paper, something sparked inside me. Learning about paper, binding structures, and how to tell a story with something tactile in your hands, opened me up to a world of design that I did not realize could be my path. In working closely with my professor and taking the class two more semesters (yes, two more times!), I discovered the artist inside me and learned that design could exist in a more meaningful way. Book arts and bookmaking also challenged me to think about the physical aspect of what you create. There is an intimacy in how someone interacts with what you create when they can not only see it, but feel it.
My next chapter took me to a small stationery store in Little Italy (San Diego) where each day, as I entered the through the store to my office, I passed by shelves of letterpress stationery, silk ribbons, and other daily doses of ephemera inspiration. In this tiny shop, I became designer and production artist, creating custom invitations and designing business identity packages, all for clients who had a deep love of paper. I was immediately immersed in all forms of printing, meticulously rifled through paper sample books, and ventured out to print shops on press checks. My world truly expanded when I traveled to NYC for the National Stationery Show where the convention center was bursting at the seems with stationery - what a dream land!!!!
The next part of my journey took me to a letterpress studio (IFYKYK). I saw each of my wedding, greeting card and note card designs come to life on press and I ate up each conversation I had with the pressman, learning about the nuances and art of letterpress printing. The sky became the limit as we expanded our line of products to include the full gamut of stationery, desk and home products. One of my proudest accomplishments as an Art Director was building an incredible design team who never tired of ideas, continually grew and supported each other as we developed custom collections, for Anthropologie, Paper Source, TJX companies and more.
As a Creative Director in the paper and planner world, I love seeing the creations we make become part of people’s lives in helping them achieve their goals and incorporate creativity into each day. I’m in awe and honored to be a part of the inspiring and welcoming planner community.
When I’m not behind the scenes, you can find me attempting DIY projects for my home, in the garden, at an estate sale, or crafting with my two curious and creative boys.
In each phase of my career, I have been so incredibly fortunate to have worked alongside the most amazing female mentors. Each who had a stunning and strong vision and my role was to help bring it to the world. The designers who I have worked with have all been unicorns - adapting and growing, challenging themselves, consistently blowing me away with the final outcome. I’m a strong believer that passion and drive are what gets the job done. And with a strong vision, clear direction, and the seeds of talent - all expectations can be exceeded! Let’s create something together!