Hello!
I’m Michelle Hobbs.
I’m a designer, facilitator, and strategist.
I am powered by an unending curiosity. I believe in design as a force for inspiration, progress, and understanding. I am drawn to spaces that foster inclusion and connection. I survive on the sweet drip of maple syrup in my coffee every morning.
My love affair with graphic design began at a young age. During my many family visits to Quebec City, Canada, I was frequently exposed to the modern metropolitan beauty of bold graphic communication. I remember how excited and dumbfounded I was when I discovered I could build a career of magically combining memorable shapes, images, and words.
I have spent over 25 years working on those combinations in corporate and product branding, marketing, design thinking, and graphic design.
Most recently I worked for ICF, a global consulting firm, in a start-up innovation lab where I co-designed and co-facilitated design thinking workshops for colleagues and clients in the energy, health and human services, and environmental planning sectors.
For 5 years I led an in-house creative group at VEIC (formerly Vermont Energy Investment Corporation) where I oversaw creative campaigns, design, copywriting, and content development in support of the strategic marketing of various energy efficiency programs, contracts, and corporate divisions.
Prior to that work, I managed Bleu Sky Creative, my design studio in Burlington, specializing in branding, packaging design, and corporate identity for healthcare, food and beverage, and non-profit clients for just about a decade.
I served on the Board of Directors for the Energy Co-op of Vermont, chairing the Membership/Marketing committee. I spent over a decade in various board roles at the Vermont chapter of AIGA, the Professional Association for Design. I led the planning of two Vermont Design Week events.
I have taught in a university setting at the University of Vermont am currently teaching at Champlain College and the Community College of Vermont. I’m a staunch advocate for design training for any professional who wants to harness the power of visual storytelling.
Raised in the Adirondack Mountains, I now get to gaze upon them from Burlington, Vermont, my home for over 20 years, along with my husband, two sons, and two rescue dogs where we do many Vermonty things like compost, hike, ski, drink local brews, and bike to creemee stands.
A story about reflecting upon the switchbacks of my career and how it helped me get something straight.