About — Lettering Works

How it started:

Growing up, I spent much of my free time drawing and took every art class my school offered (even forgoing lunch and study hall during my senior year). This led me to study Graphic Design and Marketing at Bradley University, where during my senior year, I won $10,000 in startup funding in their annual student entrepreneurship competition. It was then that I realized—I could actually turn my love of hand lettering into a full-time career. Hence, Lettering Works was born.

How it’s going:

Fast forward 7+ years, nine awards, and 35+ custom branding projects later, Lettering Works has become more than a branding studio specializing in unique hand-lettering—but a resource for creatives to build a sustainable career around their art.

I’ve worked with coaches, musicians, apparel brands, and even fellow designers to create unique branding assets that accelerate their successes. I’ve also designed original merchandise and art products for museums and local gift shops around the Chicagoland area. Working with fellow creatives has been one of the most inspiring parts of my journey. It’s ultimately what led me to expand my business into three areas to share my passion for art:

As an artist myself, I deeply understand the creative process and know the value of having someone who understands your vision. That’s why I strive to create a true partnership with my clients— jumping from artist to strategist to business mentor to get you where you need to go.

But don’t just take my word for it, hear what my clients have to say, too.

William, Retail Manager of Garfield Park Conservatory

“Chelsie has been a phenomenal partner to the Garfield Park Conservatory and its gift shop, and we could not have asked for a better collaborator. Her entrepreneurial spirit and acumen set her apart from her peers and grew a small seed into a mighty oak almost overnight. Chelsie’s artistic talents and quality items have become a sensation with our customers and her products are among the gift shop’s best-sellers. As a local business owner herself, Chelsie is keenly aware of the challenges and opportunities presented to us in our area and has worked with us to make everything from ordering to billing as simple, quick, and efficient as possible. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Chelsie and look forward to continued success!”

MEL OF MORE THAN JUST PODCAST

“Seamless, easy, amazing, fantastic, all the things! I so appreciated how communicative and accommodating Chelsie is. Having an outside, creative brain take all of our ideas and intentions and make them into something WAY better than anything we thought of is beyond priceless.”

SCHAE LEWIS, CPO® OF MISSION 2 ORGANIZE

”Before our rebranding, we were tired of and a little embarrassed by our company logo. Now we are proud to share our logo and branding with the world! We have no doubt it will have a huge impact on Mission 2 Organize’s social media footprint, allowing us to create more brand-centric content and share our existing skills and expertise. There’s already a new feel to our company and an excitement amongst the team. We are refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go to the next level!”

BAILEY OF CANDLETIT LLC

“Chelsie was the perfect person to help build my brand and business, and I never could have imagined a better outcome, not to mention getting to work with an overall incredible person and phenomenal designer! I am beyond grateful for Chelsie and the work she has done. If you are considering working with Chelsie, and would like to chat, I cannot speak highly enough of Chelsie as a brand designer and highly efficient business woman.” Read Bailey’s full testimonial.

See Client Work →

Lettering Works is a values-driven business.

Artistic passion, creativity, and giving back to the community are the values I live and lead by. In fact, that’s what fuels my mission of helping creatives reach their potential.

I’m committed to using my platform to support important causes. From destigmatizing mental health and chronic illness to spotlighting local heroes, art can be a powerful tool to create change. Some of my favorite cause-driven projects include subjects that I’m close to. (See: Cool Beans, Steph’s Stickers, and Disability Pride.)

I’m always looking to collaborate with those I share values with to spread awareness and/or positivity within the community. Be sure to check out Designs for a Cause below to support existing work, or reach out if you have an idea you’d like to collaborate on.

Designs for a Cause →

Beyond business

I love to travel. Some of my favorite places I’ve been are Granada, Spain, Florence, Italy, Mexico City, New York City, and London.
Ice cream is my favorite.
I am an Enneagram 3 (otherwise known as The Achiever).
I have two titanium rods and over 15 screws along my spine from a spinal fusion surgery I had to correct my scoliosis.
I eat most meals out and patronize local businesses as much as possible.