Chicago - One Year Update

I packed up my entire life and relocated Lettering Works to Chicago from Peoria, Illinois on June 1, 2019, so it’s been a full year of business and life in this beautiful Windy City. It was a year filled with growth and new experiences…

A lot of BIG things happened!

• Launched a Chicago product line

• Added new wholesale accounts

• Sold 3,000 postcards and 4,000 enamel pins to the Field Museum

• Sold 32,000 stickers to Bradley University

• Helped many small businesses thrive with branding and custom artwork

• Signed a $10K+ contract project

• Became an LLC

• Celebrated FOUR years in business

Thank you to our clients who trusted us this past year to help accomplish their creative goals. From branding projects to murals to custom product development to promotional materials and everything in between - seeing business owners gain confidence in their brands and abilities makes all of the hard work worth it.

Project highlights:

• Spirit mural for Bradley University and another set of murals for a secret client

• Custom products for the Field Museum

• Branding and yard signs for Perring Landscape

• Branding projects for Lifting Up LLC, LifeLine Pilots, Marty Wombacher, Duffy Armstrong, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, Annie Elaine Bath Co., and more

• Custom graphics for Curated Chicago, Black Dog Metal Arts, Joyce Anne Day, Culinary Confidante, Peoria Grown, Brienzo’s, Richter Ranch Designs, Corey’s NYC Bagel Deli, and more

• Artist Collaborations with Wrigleyville Sports, Amelia Hruby, and Connie Bickford (Chicago Hustle)

Passion Projects are our jam. We brought some really great ones to life in 2019 that played a huge role in both providing creatively fulfilling work and helping establish Lettering Works in a new market.

Passion Projects SINCE THE MOVE:

• Chicago Style Postcards (complete with successfully funded Kickstarter)

• 100 Days of Chicago

• The City Collection

• Girl Power Sticker Collection

• Cool Beans

• 20 Days of Coloring

• Candid COVID Cards

• Chronically Positive

OTHER NEW PRODUCTS:

• Chicago Collection

• Milwaukee Collection

• Plant Collection

• Postcard Sets

new Local retail locations:

• Field Museum

• Wolfbait & B-Girls

• Transistor Chicago

• Women & Children First

• Foursided

• Peoria Made

• Wrigleyville Sports

• Local Goods Chicago

• Little Broken Things

• Stumble & Relish

• Sacred Art

• Travel Mart (Inside Milwaukee’s Intermodal Station)

• Collectiv

Above photos by Melody Bilbo for She Makes Chicago feature.

PRESS/INTERVIEWS/FEATURES:

• Chicago Hustle Podcast

• Design Calendar

• Built to Stay Podcast

• People of Peoria Podcast

• LoganSquarist

• D155 Workforce Wednesday Campaign

• Women in Design - Chykalophia

• She Makes Chicago Podcast

• The Glossary

• Project 1612

• Happy Mileurs

• Indie Maker Show

• Mastercraft+

• Peoria PlayHouse Virtual Career Days

• WGN TV

• Simply Unstoppable

EVENTS + Program HIGHLIGHTS:

• Debuted Chicago products at the Sauced Market at Sleeping Village

• Participated in the AIGA Mentor Program

• Attended the Brand New Conference in Las Vegas

• Hosted a Lettering Workshop at Ampersand

• Led a Private Lettering Workshop

• Showcased at the Women’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Expo (And made it on ABC 7’s recap for literally two seconds. Photo proof above.)

• Returned to CG to speak to Art Classes

• Sold at the Sauced Holiday Market

• Presented on Branding and Pitching Your Art via Email at the Business of Art Conference

• Attended the First Round Conference in Portland

• Hosted a Branding 101 Workshop (Online due to COVID-19)

• Led a virtual Sunnyside Chats: The Power of Passion Projects

Looking back on this first year in the “big city” has me feeling incredibly grateful. On top of all the projects I took on and the ones made up for myself to work on, I’ve made some truly wonderful and inspiring friends. I’ve found community here (shoutout to Sunnyside Chats, Bossy Chicago, and Tuesdays Together) and experienced a huge shift in mindset from freelancer to small business. Chicago has taught me to think bigger and seek out new, larger opportunities that both excite and scare me (in the best way).

I am excited to see what this next year brings. I already have plans to add online workshops, create new logo and branding packages, and continue to grow my product line and wholesale clients. I am so grateful to everyone who has been part of my business journey and allowed me to pursue this passion of mine as a full-time career.

If you could use my help to take your business to the next level, I’d love to chat about working together. Get in touch about working together via our contact form.

All photography by Sarah Waldo of Violet and Ivy Photography, unless otherwise noted.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chelsie Tamms is an award-winning lettering artist and designer based out of Chicago. She is the owner of Lettering Works, a branding studio that connects businesses to their audience through creativity and strategy. With over 10 years of practice of lettering and design, Chelsie is passionate about craft and intention. When she’s not designing, she can be found eating ice cream, traveling internationally, or starting a new passion project.