Getting to Know Founding Member Madeleine "Maddy" Hopkins

Madeleine Hopkins, mostly known as simply “Maddy” remembers creating art in one-way or the other for most of her life.  When asked the question of how she first knew that graphic design would be the path of her career?  Maddy replied, “I didn’t know, but I knew that I would do something with art, I followed my passion after taking other jobs that never really fulfilled me.”

At the age of 20 she attended the Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs.  After completing school there she spent a good deal of time going back and forth between Colorado and California to help her father who had been seriously injured in a sail boat accident.  At the age of 25 she took on a job at the Boulder County Clerk and Recorders office ending up staying there for five years.  It was then, not feeling in any way fulfilled or using her true talents, that she enrolled at the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver to further pursue her love of art. 

The Art Institute led Maddy to the world of Print Design where she would further her graphic design career for the next 12 years at a Printing Company in Denver.  She learned the many ins and outs of the printing world.  Maddy says of her time there,  “What I loved was the illusion of stability, while having a place to grow and learn, in a hands on environment.  The designing went from conception to print in a real world situation.”

The uniqueness of Maddy’s work perhaps comes from her love of nature – she really finds it as a source of deep inspiration.  She loves the simplicity and beauty as nature forms many things through textures and shape, the same basic elements of design.

Four years ago, on January 4, 2005 Maddy found herself with the opportunity to head out on her own.  The printing company she had spent the previous 12 years of her life at was experiencing some financial troubles.  She realized that the time had come to really let her skills shine.  Maddy explained,  “I was scared, yet relieved because I knew that I did not have open-ended creativity there (at the printing company) and was kind of dying on the vine.  I knew my potential was greater.”  Excitement, fear and relief pulled her forward to fully show not only her newly found clients but also to herself what she was made of and  all that she really had to offer through her artistic senses.  

In asking Maddy the question of her preference of graphic mediums she replied, “That is a tough one because art is so vast.  Pen and ink would be essential for graphic designers, if there were no computers.”  While Maddy does find she uses the computer for most of her work, she loves the opportunity, when possible, to start out with pen and ink.  The ideas are unique that the basic elements of line art evoke.  This process allows her to turn her creations into a workable format for the computer.  When given the chance to create illustration through the form of pen and ink with the extra splash of water color washes, Maddy finds her creative spirit soaring.

addy’s graphic strength’s further come to light while not only making something beautiful, but also making it realistic for reproduction through the print medium.  Maddy has mastered the computer for graphics with programs like Illustrator and PhotoShop to get different effects.  For layout she now finds herself mostly using InDesign.  Depending on the job, Maddy uses them all.  She is able to do some amazing things in PhotoShop that has given her clients incredible results.

One of the great joys that Maddy embraces in her business is the time that she spends talking with her clients about the hopes and desires they hold for their business.  She picks up on their excitement as it becomes infectious, getting her energized in assisting them in moving towards their success. She said,  “In creativity and art there are no rules. It’s about the free flow of talking to my clients and getting to know them and what they want at that moment in their business.”  It is her succinct ability to listen that has caused many a client to dub Maddy an “Intuitive” in her work. 

Maddy further explained, “I love when a new client comes along with no logo and we can let that be the starting point of our relationship. It fully lets me get to know the client and their aspirations for their company.  It’s like a seed that we plant and together we help it grow.” The world of print comes into play regularly as she educates her clients on aspects such as color shifting that occurs from computer screen to computer screen and how to make colors accurate for the actual printing process.

hen asked her greatest delights in her work Maddy replied,   “When a client really loves the design and gets many compliments.”  While this leads to her own referrals,  necessary in the growth of MN Hopkins Design, Maddy also loves to see her designs making a difference as it assists in the growth of her clients business. 

When asked what advice she would give someone who was looking at building his or her graphic art skills?   She replied, “When approaching your education – get a real rounded one to understand print as well as design.  Don’t be afraid to show your style even if it is nonconforming – in the end we are trends setters or trend followers?”