Julie Lyrek

Art and design has always been my passion. Tracking design trends, research, consumer insights, sharing ideas with other creatives, and developing innovative ideas that engage the target consumer. This passion has allowed me to be a key player in strategy development, brand building, design conceptualization & idea generation. 

My career as an artist began at the early age of three. My mother had this tall metal cabinet that contained this wonderful soft yellow folded paper. I was totally enamored with the smooth feel and weight of the paper. I couldn't get my crayons out fast enough! I emptied all the contents of the folded paper and began to create my new collection. I then installed my work in my new gallery, also known as the dining room. Each piece was hung precisely with a fresh box of band-aids. From the reaction of my parents, I knew I was destined for great things.

On a fifth grade class trip to General Mills my life changed. We toured the Betty Crocker Kitchens. That was pretty cool. It was when we toured the Art Department, I was so excited I could barely breathe. This was like Santa's workshop to me. Artists were working on all these cool projects AND it was their job! I never even dreamed that a place like this existed. Then, I spotted it. A never seen before, top secret, cereal package. It was Boo Berry! From that day forward, I knew I wanted to be a designer!

Fast forward a few years later. I've traded in Mom's manilla folders and my crayons for a Mac with a really big screen. My gallery where my work is now appearing in grocery, retail stores, online sites and (this is a rough one) estate sales. Thoughout my career, I have had the good fortune to be employed at a toy company, ad agency, a couple major corporation and some award winning design firms. I have gained a wealth of experience in branding, packaging, promotion, retail, web, and print design. All of those opportunities have brought me to where I am today at Lyrek Creative!