When Julie Sherman opened the studio in 2007, she wanted to create meaningful designs for brave and inspiring organizations. Over the past decade, Julie has built a small team of talented, kindred spirits. We work collaboratively so that every project benefits from our combined expertise, and we’ve surrounded ourselves with trusted collaborators—writers, printers, web developers, and photographers—who believe in the power of relationships.
Nickname: The Conductor
Soft spots: Italian art, vintage posters, ornamental design
Extracurricular: kettlebells, parenting, gazing at Instagram
Julie is our founder and fearless leader. She invests deeply in client relationships and collaborates with clients to support their communication and business goals. She envisions the aesthetic for every client project—large or small. She leads her growing team with more than 20 years of design and art direction experience. As a Newton, Mass. small business owner for more than a decade, Julie is embedded in the community and maintains a robust network of creative consultants, writers, developers, and more, who partner with the Studio on a client by client basis. She holds a BFA in fine art from Cornell and an MS in communications from Simmons.
Nickname: The Gatherer
Soft spots: textures found in nature, farmers markets, yarn walls
Extracurricular: gardening, stargazing, making allergy-friendly treats
Sara’s endless curiosity and decades of experience help her collect critical concepts and details—she asks why? and how? questions. She wrangles strategies and facilitates content development between clients and talented partners. This process results in richly branded communication design—with measurable results for our clients. Sara has more than twenty years of brand consulting and design experience and a BS in advertising from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
Nickname: The Collaborator
Soft spots: library books, vintage signage, and anything hand-lettered
Extracurricular: outdoor running and beach walks, goofy family dancing, yoga
Abi brings the powerful combination of communications, the arts, and tech to the Studio with her background in marketing and digital design for apps and the web. From her roles in nonprofit and start up organizations, Abi brings her best to opportunities that build a project from the ground up. Curious and collaborative, she thrives in small team environments. Abi has a combined 14 years of professional design and marketing experience. She holds a certificate in graphic design from Massachusetts College of Art & Design and a BA in Psychology from UMASS Boston.
Nickname: The Artist
Soft spots: Japanese kawaii, children’s book illustrations, handmade ceramics
Extracurricular: hiking with my dog, reading murder mysteries, DIY crafting
A sketcher and doodler since childhood, Julie M. is a talented illustrator. Her aesthetic is fresh, versatile, and joyful. She brings her meticulous eye and a keen focus on details to every project. Julie ensures that our design files meet the highest standards of production quality and polished finish. People and pixel smart, Julie M. has a BA in psychology from UMass Amherst and a Graphic Design Certificate from New England School of Art and Design.
Nickname: Super-rocker
Soft spots: Quirky glasses frames, cold brew coffee, live music
Extracurricular: Binging TV shows, listening to podcasts, and hanging with my husband, daughter, and dog
Danielle delivers. Her deep background in operations and project management across philanthropic, nonprofit, and finance organizations means she’s ready to power through even the most challenging, multifaceted assignments. Her administrative experience working with senior teams includes leadership engagement, managing complex logistics, and producing timely on-budget materials. Danielle is a master of details in the context of the big picture. She holds a BS in Applied Legal Studies from Suffolk University.
Studio partner since: 2007
Websites created with J Sherman Studio: 50+ and counting
Stephen Amelia is the founder and president of AGENCY 3.0, a Boston-based website design and development firm. Stephen is a web veteran who has helped hundreds of businesses and nonprofit organizations leverage design and technology to communicate more effectively with their customers and stakeholders. When he isn’t building websites, he and his husband are chasing their two toddlers and keeping an eye out for their next favorite piece of art.
Nickname: The Facilitator
Soft spots: fountain pens, big quiet places, kindness, raw oysters
Extracurricular: learning, kayaking, knitting
Sue’s personal mission is to help organizations do change better. She loves to shape a vision, build a roadmap, and ask “how will this impact the team?” Her empathy, love of language, and deep experience in a range of organizations let her spot what others miss and use those observations to build on possibilities and avoid pitfalls along the way. Sue brings two decades of experience in government, corporate and non-profit organizations. She is a graduate of Williams College, trained in facilitation and coaching at Georgetown, and certified in the PROSCI change management methodology.
