GO CONFIDENTLY IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR DREAMS. LIVE THE LIFE YOU HAVE IMAGINED. –Henry David Thoreau
Tara Themm grew up next door to her grandparents farm in a rural town north of Detroit, Michigan. The value of hard work was instilled in her at a very young age from planting in the fields and greenhouses, as well as selling produce at markets.
She got her creativity from her father, who always encouraged her to further her skills. She kept a sketchbook filled with doodles, notes and inspirations. Tara saw her father's passion get pushed aside for a non-creative job, and she vowed to not let that happen, leading her to change majors from Pre-Med to Studio Art during her time at Michigan State University.
Tara has been a professional in the design industry for 10 years now. She is known for her exemplary finishing polish in her design as well as her knack for leading and motivating a team. Tara always craves finding the perfect balance between form and function, and influences her fellow creatives to do the same.
Tara loves talking ideas through and brainstorming with people from all professional backgrounds: Are we going about this project in the right way? How can we make this better? How will this design carry through time? Does this harmonize with the brand voice? Not surprisingly, Tara was told by her 8th grade science teacher that she asks too many questions, but Tara always encouraged this type of dialogue, believing that more information and education leads to a better chance of success.
Tara has thrived both in work scenarios where she was the only creative, to being a part of a strong creative team. At Autoweek, she helped build a team of talented designers, where she played a major role in pushing the print product to the next level. This was so much so that The Magazine Medic honored Autoweek magazine, among other major publications like Esquire and Popular Science, with their “Little Engine That Could” award, stating “Crain’s perennial also-ran is the butterfly in the buff-book category. By rethinking literally everything from edit spin to paper stock to the spelling of its title, the magazine has rebuilt the motor beneath its sweet-looking bonnet.” She was also the lead creative on the recent autoweek.com responsive website redesign, which received overwhelming positive feedback from top industry professionals.
When Tara's not working, she can be found chipping away at her mid-century home renovations, perusing flea markets and estate sales, painting in her studio, or simply spending quality time with her husband and adorable rescue pups.
She got her creativity from her father, who always encouraged her to further her skills. She kept a sketchbook filled with doodles, notes and inspirations. Tara saw her father's passion get pushed aside for a non-creative job, and she vowed to not let that happen, leading her to change majors from Pre-Med to Studio Art during her time at Michigan State University.
Tara has been a professional in the design industry for 10 years now. She is known for her exemplary finishing polish in her design as well as her knack for leading and motivating a team. Tara always craves finding the perfect balance between form and function, and influences her fellow creatives to do the same.
Tara loves talking ideas through and brainstorming with people from all professional backgrounds: Are we going about this project in the right way? How can we make this better? How will this design carry through time? Does this harmonize with the brand voice? Not surprisingly, Tara was told by her 8th grade science teacher that she asks too many questions, but Tara always encouraged this type of dialogue, believing that more information and education leads to a better chance of success.
Tara has thrived both in work scenarios where she was the only creative, to being a part of a strong creative team. At Autoweek, she helped build a team of talented designers, where she played a major role in pushing the print product to the next level. This was so much so that The Magazine Medic honored Autoweek magazine, among other major publications like Esquire and Popular Science, with their “Little Engine That Could” award, stating “Crain’s perennial also-ran is the butterfly in the buff-book category. By rethinking literally everything from edit spin to paper stock to the spelling of its title, the magazine has rebuilt the motor beneath its sweet-looking bonnet.” She was also the lead creative on the recent autoweek.com responsive website redesign, which received overwhelming positive feedback from top industry professionals.
When Tara's not working, she can be found chipping away at her mid-century home renovations, perusing flea markets and estate sales, painting in her studio, or simply spending quality time with her husband and adorable rescue pups.