NYC to PDX • A Smart Move
There Really is a Smart Blonde!
(and it's natural — with a little help.)
Hello, I'm Victoria Munroe, the blonde behind Smart Blonde Design. My studio is located in Oregon City, Oregon but I serve clients throughout the Pacific NW and California.
Here's a little background...
A proud native of the Big Apple, I began my career as a package designer for prestigious firms such as Estée Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, JC Penney Co. and Charles of the Ritz Group, Ltd. My last position before moving to the west coast was Design Director for L'Oreal.
After our family relocated to the Pacific Northwest, I spent the next several years as a "domestic engineer". I loved being an at-home mom but missed the creative energy of my profession, so once my two boys were in school, I joined The Fox Creative Group as Creative Director.
In 1999, I launched Smart Blonde Design. My favorite part of the job is working collaboratively with clients and translating their vision into reality through stunning designs that get results. I've designed pretty much everything: advertising, branding & identities, publications, all manner of print, packaging, displays and websites.
Over the years, I've had the good fortune to work with amazing clients large and small—but no matter the size—every client receives first-rate customer service—a lost art from what I hear!— and I am committed to completing each project on time and on budget!
For professional timeline, list of clients and testimonials, please scroll down.
Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy the Smart Blonde humor!
Sincerely,
Victoria Munroe
PS: I never met a dog I didn't love!
A Blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She says she is going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for such a loan, so the Blonde hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce parked on the street in front of the bank.
Everything checks out, and the bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. An employee drives the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.
Two weeks later, the Blonde returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41.
The loan officer says, "We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. Why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"
The Blonde replied, "Where else in New York can I park my car for two weeks for 15 bucks?"
Experience
Professional Summary
For a detailed resume, click here.
PORTLAND, OR METRO AREA:
SMART BLONDE DESIGN
Oregon City
Owner/Principal since 1999
THE FOX CREATIVE GROUP
Portland
Creative Director 1995-99
MUNROE HOUSEHOLD
Lake Oswego
Domestic Engineer &
Child Development Specialist 1989-95
NEW YORK, NY:
L"OREAL USA
Design Director 1987-89
CHARLES OF THE RITZ
GROUP, LTD.
Design Manager 1984-87
FREELANCE DESIGN 1980-84
Esteé Lauder, Inc.,
Elizabeth Arden, Inc.
JCPenney Company
Awards
A lawyer and a Blonde woman are sitting next to each other on a long flight from LA to New York. The lawyer leans over to her and asks if she would like to play a fun game.
The Blonde is tired and just wants to take a nap, so she politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks.
The lawyer persists, saying that the game is really easy and a lot of fun. He explains how the game works: "I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me, and visa-versa." Again, the Blonde politely declines and tries to get some sleep.
The lawyer figures that since his opponent is a Blonde he will easily win the match, so he makes another offer. "Okay, how about this, if you don't know the answer you pay me only $5, but if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500."
This catches the Blonde's attention and, figuring that there will be no end to this torment unless she plays, she agrees to play the game. The lawyer asks the first question. "What's the distance from the Earth to the moon?" The Blonde doesn't say a word, reaches into her purse, pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer.
Now, it's the Blonde's turn. She asks the lawyer, "What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?"
The lawyer looks at her with a puzzled look. He takes out his laptop computer and searches all his references. He taps into the Air-phone with his modem and searches the Net and even the Library of Congress.
Frustrated, he sends E-mails to all his coworkers and friends he knows. All to no avail. After over an hour of searching for the answer he finally gives up. He wakes the Blonde and hands her $500. The Blonde politely takes the money and turns away to get back to sleep.
The lawyer, who is more than a little frustrated, wakes the blonde and asks, "Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?" Again without a word, the Blonde reaches into her purse, hands the lawyer $5, and goes back to sleep.
Smart Blonde Design has won 2 prestigious awards from Graphic Design USA in the Health and Wellness category. Graphic Design USA is a leading information source for graphic design professionals. Click the links for project details.
Testimonials
"Eight years ago we presented Vicki with the daunting task of taking an award-winning catalog and making it better. After delivering nothing short of a miracle we awarded her all of our graphic arts needs, from print to packaging.
Not only is she smart, Vicki's blondeness translates into being highly dependable and a joy to deal with. She has the uncanny ability of making us feel like we are her most important client and to our delight she's still performing miracles."
Dr. Ken Koenig
Former President,
Wise Woman Herbals
"Vicki and I have worked together for many years, beginning when hired her as the Creative Director for my graphic design firm. When I moved on to another company, I continued to hire Vicki as a freelance resource for numerous print and web design projects.
She is great to work with—she listens very well, is easy to talk to and to bounce ideas back and forth. I love her collaborative approach, her creativity, and her excellent sense of color and style. She is flexible, on time and delivers great value in both print and web projects for very reasonable rates."
—Caroline Lewis
Former owner ,
Fox Creative Group
Contact
VICTORIA MUNROE
14647 Sugarpine St.
Oregon City, OR 97045
P: 503.908.8528
F: 503.908.8528
C: 503.481.4438