My mission is to build strong relationships between clients and creative, and between product and audience. In every project, I strive to balance beautiful design with intelligence, appropriateness and purpose. Even with years of agency & studio experience, there's always more to learn while bringing the value of design to light. Creative storytelling that is bold, distinctive, and smart—that's what I aim for. I obsess about details, so clients don't have to.

About

I'm a hard-working senior designer, art director and illustrator specializing in logo design, idea generation, concept and brand development. Experienced in typography, visual identities, packaging design, print and web communications, I am interested in all areas of brand design and creative.

Dedicated, resourceful, focused, always curious, open to learning new things and thinking about the bigger picture...that's me.

Educated at The University of British Columbia and Capilano University, I have over 25 years of design experience working with creative firms including Rethink, Karacters Design, DDB Canada, TAXI, Cossette, Spring, Free Agency Creative, Subplot Design, Will Creative, Here Be Monsters, Full Punch & 123w. I was a contributor to design blogs FeltAndWire & Lovely Package, a continuing guest critic, a design competition judge, sessional instructor at Emily Carr University of Art + Design and Langara College, and a past Professional Member of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada. I'm currently an organizing member of Type Brigade and sessional instructor and mentor at Capilano University.

I continue to support and educate the creative community with personal mentorships, publication reviews, design talks (Creative Pulse, Type Brigade, The Quickie for Designers podcast, The DESIGNED podcast) and guest student critiques. Recognized by Communication Arts, Applied Arts, Lotus Awards, GDC/BC Salazar Awards, HOW Magazine, Identity Magazine, New York Festivals, Advertising & Design Club of Canada, Uppercase Magazine and GDC/Graphex Awards, my work has also appeared in over 50 international design publications and blogs. I live and create in beautiful Vancouver, Canada, with my origami artist husband and creative kid.

Process

Listen, ask questions. Collaborate. Think. And then think again. Ideas. Lots. Sketch. Lots. Design. Share. Discuss. Refine. Test. Design more. Apply. High fives. Done. Smiles.

Projects often begin with a conversation, followed by questions to get inside the client’s world and the experience of the user or audience. It’s always important to start off the creative process as a partnership based on trust and respect, where everyone’s input adds value to the work and approach.

That’s followed by a process of in-depth research, conceptual thinking mixed with idea generation, and then the design craft begins digitally or sometimes, by hand. Testing with real world applications for each audience or client ensures the design works well and aids to visualize final usage towards completion of final deliverables. Each step of the visual communications journey is led by diligence, beauty and purpose towards positive results (aka happy return clients).

Clients + Projects

Big or small, complex or simple, every project is different. Yet every client is unique and equally valued, because everyone can benefit from good design.

Freelance contracts or direct clients, I’m always happy to help make a positive impact in brand building. Depending on the scope of your project, I can work solo or partner up with other service providers from my network.

If you have a design project in mind, I’d love to hear all about it. Contact me@nancywudesign.com and let me know how I can help.

  • Advocus
  • Austeville Properties
  • Backstory Films
  • BC Tree Fruits
  • Colette Gouin Art
  • Cree Leadership
  • Dr. WInnie Su
  • Earls Restaurants
  • EAB Tool Co.
  • Emergent Properties
  • Finning
  • Fraser Academy
  • Graphic Designers of Canada, BC Chapter
  • Greg Blue Photography
  • Hawksworth Restaurant
  • Joseph Wu Origami
  • Liberty Homes
  • Mitchell Press
  • MT Enviro Tank
  • Nextbus
  • North Shore Spirit Trail
  • Numena Technologies
  • Offsetters
  • Onni Group
  • Paul Wu + Associates
  • Pinter Creative Studio
  • Rosewood Hotel Georgia
  • Sacred Canopy
  • Shapray Cramer Fitterman Lamer
  • Sophia Financial Group
  • Spinsight
  • Spicers Paper
  • St. Mary’s Kerrisdale
  • St. Paul's Anglican
  • Sugoi
  • Tangible Interaction
  • Tenth Church
  • Thomas Llewellin Architect
  • Webtech Wireless
  • Yaaway
  • 123w
  • BrandFX
  • Combo Creative
  • Cossette
  • Culture Theory
  • DDB Canada
  • Edelman
  • Free Agency Creative
  • Full Punch
  • Here Be Monsters
  • HCMA Architecture + Design
  • Industrial Brand
  • Karacters Design Group
  • Kontent Creative Group
  • Lightroom
  • Mercer Creative
  • The Notice Group
  • Pendo
  • Rethink Canada
  • Seven25
  • Signals Design
  • Spring Advertising
  • Subplot Design
  • Suburbia Advertising
  • TAXI Vancouver
  • The&Partnership
  • Trapeze
  • Will Creative

  • Many thanks and deepest appreciation to both past & current collaborators. Looking forward to more great creative opportunities ahead!