Rising Stars: Meet Karen Cronin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Cronin.

Hi Karen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I am the founder, along with my fabulous writer husband, Peter, of Cronin Creative, Nashville’s go-to source for clean, clear graphic design and communications. Unlike many people, my career has followed a fairly straight line. I was fortunate enough to know what I wanted to do early on, and I’ve never stopped doing it.

I began my creative journey at the feet of my stepmother, a gifted and successful artist named Sandford Birdsey. I would sit for hours and watch her paint. It was Sandford who recognized and brought out the graphic designer in me. I went on to graduate from New York’s Parsons School of Design and jumped right into a career, working under Beverly Russell at Interiors magazine, a highly regarded publication that put me into the thick of things, even working with noted designer Colin Forbes and his Pentagram agency.

Moving to Nashville in the early ‘90s, I worked freelance, mostly for the music business, for several years before establishing Cronin Creative with my writer husband. We currently serve an unusually eclectic roster of clients with what we call “Clarity by Design,” and we’re proud to be celebrating 15 years of a successful business.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While my career path has been a linear one, it hasn’t been without some bumps along the way.

As a creative couple starting a business, we found out right away that we knew a lot more about creativity than running a successful company. We’ve been fortunate to meet several mentors along the way who taught us so much about best practices and how to build and sustain a successful venture like Cronin Creative.

Running our own show has been rewarding and challenging on so many levels, and we’ve grown so much professionally and personally over the past 15 years.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The word “clarity” consistently shows up in comments about my design style, and that always feels good to me. As a graphic designer, I go for clean and clear. The description also fits our overall approach at Cronin Creative.

While we serve an eclectic roster of clients, the job of clearing a space for their product or service in the marketplace remains the same. I believe that’s where Cronin Creative really shines.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
Nashville is a thriving, diverse, and truly welcoming creative community.

It’s my adopted home, a place where I’ve felt supported, I’ve been challenged, and I’ve been able to really grow – as a creative soul and as a business owner – while being cheered on by amazing people I admire. Yes, for longtime residents like myself, the city’s rapid growth can be jarring.

But this is still a uniquely creative place, and I love that. It’s the traffic I don’t like!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cronincreative.net
• Instagram: @karencronincreative