Meet Carol of The Map Chick by CW Designs in North Texas/McKinney

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carol.

Carol, please share your story with us. 
I started CW Designs in 2008 as a side project to satisfy my creative mind. I was working as a graphic designer for a medical education firm in Chicago, so there wasn’t much leeway for creativity. I needed an outlet. I get my creative fire from my mother, who is an artist. She moved to the United States from Scotland in the early 70’s, so a large part of my early life was touring the country on family trips because she was eager to see America. I would sit in the back of our car plotting our course on a Rand McNally atlas for hours. That sound of flipping through a map and the smell of the paper always stuck with me. Now, I am known for creating maps to the point that I’ve been affectionately called “The Map Chick” for years now… I’ve embraced it!

We moved to McKinney from Chicago in 2013 when I was 8 months pregnant with our second child. My husband has a lot of families down here, so it made for an easy excuse to leave the brutal Chicago winters. He left his job in 2014 to join CW Designs full-time when I could no longer keep up with demand. We have been working and growing the business ever since. It’s been great to be in control of our own destiny, plus it has allowed us more time to be with the kids. It isn’t without some drawbacks, and it took some time to get used to working so closely with a spouse. Overall, it is has been such a positive step for our family and we can’t wait for what the future holds in store.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, you are always working, always. If you are not thinking about our business it will suffer. It really does become an extension of us and it really is a family business. It can keep us up at night when we think about the risks and responsibilities. Our kids are part of the business too and it requires their help and understanding. They make mail runs with us, tape up boxes, we even set up Illustrator on a laptop and let them doodle! They know all about mom and dad working weekends, and taking family vacations at weird times. But they also know that mom and dad make it to every school event and one of us will pick them up at 3:00 pm every day. We try our best to create balance, but it can be hard. We just do our best. That’s why we always try to purchase from small/family businesses when possible. We feel good about where our money is going, it’s a nice feeling.

The Map Chick by CW Designs – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I think we measure success by our clients continued surprise and appreciation for our work. That doesn’t mean there aren’t difficult days, but when you’re client-focused everything else just tends to line up. The minute we no longer enjoy what we are doing, we’ll do something else, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Every day we get requests from individuals and businesses from around the world asking us to create something unique. Our designs focus on the intimate details that can capture the sentiments of an individual or event, or unite a corporations message. I’d say our ability to convey a message through details and subtlety sets us apart. Couples love our designs for weddings because we truly try to capture their love and unique bond visually. Businesses have turned to us for unique ways to reach customers, highlight properties or welcome new employees. We recently did a map for KPMG to welcome new employees to their campus and make them feel at home in their new surroundings. Visuals are everything! We work hard for our clients and it’s been a blessing getting to know them over the years. Some of them have become great friends! When you can make close friends, provide for your family, and bring a little beauty to the world through art, I call that success. Plus maps are just cool!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Taking a chance on ourselves and starting this business. It has been challenging at times, but it has been overwhelmingly positive and most definitely worth it.

Contact Info:

• Address: 207 E Virginia St Suite 207
• Website: themapchick.com
• Phone: 312-388-8751
• Email: carol@cws-designs.com
• Instagram: TheMapChick
• Facebook: CW Designs The Map Chick
• Twitter: TheMapChick
• Other: CWS-Designs.com

Image Credit:
Emily Megan Photography

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