About
Hi, I am Karen Wegehenkel, it’s so nice to meet you! Since you are here, let me tell you a bit more about myself. I am an Intuitive Graphic Designer, and my favorite clients are companies selling products or services that make the world a better place, because this is how I feel I can make a difference.
How is my graphic design intuitive you might ask? Meditation has helped me become a better person, and meditation is helping me become a better designer. With intuition, awareness and certain questions I get to the core of my clients’ business goals and intentions, to elevate their business and help them express their truest selves. For examples on this, please hop over to my blog.
I call the beautiful Rogue Valley in southern Oregon my home, but that doesn’t really matter because I can work from anywhere! So if you are curious about what I do, maybe want to work with me or just want to say hi, please connect with me.
Here is a recent interview I did with Jill K. Thomas on October 24, 2023, it is about 40 minutes long.
Below, find some more detailed facts about my work experience, education and skills.
Work Experience
07/2018 – present
Communications Designer Medford, Oregon
- Brandi identity and logo development for new and established businesses
- Design, creation and maintenance of websites and online stores
- Email Newsletter design and creation
- Graphic design services: brochures, marketing materials, package design and more
- Online and Magazine ads, Social Media avatars, headers, posts and other imagery
- Product and portrait photography
10/2022 – 9/2023
Branding, Design and Marketing for Talking Plants Garden Club Rogue River, Oregon
- Branding and logo development
- Marketing and Content Strategy for this new membership course on backyard gardening
- Video filming and editing
- Website design and setup on WordPress and Kajabi
- Course design including handouts, garden journal, course community and more
- Social media, podcasts, newsletter and more
02/2018 – 05/2022
Chava Naturals/RUFF BAR/Big Sky Products – Design and Marketing Snohomish, Washington
- Rebranding and relaunching their online store (Shopify) resulting in a 331% increase of sales in the fourth quarter compared to the quarter of the launch
- Package design – labels, shipping boxes
- Brochures, big displays and other marketing collateral design
- Email newsletter and sale promotions design and execution (MailChimp)
- Strategic ad design contributing to a 449% increase of store visitors in three months
- Product photography
03/2002 – 6/2018
Independent Screen Designer Seattle Eastside
- Branding, including logo development, fonts, colors and imagery for small and
- medium sized businesses and non-profits
- Dynamic website design and theme programming, WordPress and mobile
- Newsletter template creation
- Static web site creation from planning, design and programming to maintenance
- Graphic design services including brochures, marketing materials, package design, ads
- Product photography
- Illustrations for stock, assignment and a children’s book
1/1999 – 02/2002
Amazon.de – Screen Designer Munich, Germany
- Created illustrations/icons for Amazon.de, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr resulting in a more harmonized look of the European sites
- Developed guidelines for editorial images, resulting in faster creation times and a more unified look
- Designed new web pages for Amazon stores, orderpipeline and other to improve recent design
- Worked closely with developers, project managers, editors and the marketing department
- Provided graphic design services to marketing department to improve implementation of guidelines in printing material
10/1998 – 07/1999
Amazon.com – Graphic Design Intern Seattle, Washington and Regensburg, Germany
- Created E-Cards, including illustrations and animations for Amazon.com
- Edited and optimized existing E-Card images, including thumbnail creation and entry in database
- Assisted product photo shoots for Amazon.com toys department, edited and optimized images including cropping, color correction and resizing
Education
Continuing education is a daily habit for me. Below are the highlights of the trainings I have taken.
05/2023 – present
BNI member
09-11/2023
Lee Harris Energy
“Grow Your Business” Online Course
09-11/2021
Sounds True
“The Power of Conscious Marketing” Eight Week Online Course
2008-2020
Online Courses with Adobe, EPN, Masterclass and others for Adobe Products, Photography, Marketing
2005-2016
Bellevue College Bellevue, Washington
Day Seminars and Evening Courses for Adobe Photoshop, Drawing, Illustration and Photography
02/2001-10/2003
HTK Hamburg Hamburg, Germany
Graphic Design
10/1995-03/2000
Technical University, Dresden Dresden, Germany
German Studies, Psychology, Communication Science
08/1989-07/1993
Meissen Porcelain Meissen Germany
4 Year Artisan Apprenticeship (formal, mostly practical education to become a craftsman):
- Drawing and Painting (1st year): Composition, Perspective, Anatomy
watercolor painting and drawing of flowers, birds, people etc. - Form Design Handicraft with raw clay and porcelain (2nd to 4th year)
- also covering history of the porcelain and the manufactury, sourcing and chemical composition of clays and similar substances, casting techniques, forming, firing, and glazing
- and actual production of pieces for the sales floor.
Skills
Marketing Strategies:
- Landing Pages and Funnels
- Email Sequences
- Email Newsletters
- Social Media
- Podcasts
- Referrals
Computer Skills:
- Expert skills in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver
- Expert HTML and CSS skills, WordPress theme development experience
- E-Learning and online courses (Kajabi)
- Online Store setup and maintenance (Shopify, WooCommerce)
- Hosting support (emails, websites, domains, security)
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint
- Video editing skills (Adobe Rush, Adobe Premiere, iMovie)
- Presentation skills (Keynote)
Language Skills:
Fluent in German and English
Other Skills
Photography, Illustration, Hand drawing
References
Please contact me directly for work references.
So if you are just starting a new business or want to give your existing marketing material a facelift, you are at the right place! Big or small, I can help your business grow, with beautifully coherent designs though all your communications. With my over two decades of experience in visual brand development, marketing and website design, I have developed a simple-to-follow step by step process to guide you in getting the branding, website and marketing materials your business needs.
All you need is an idea. Together we will achieve everything else.
On a personal note…
Originally from (East) Germany, I came to the US – in the pursuit of happiness – in early 2000. As such I have a unique view on the world, can think outside of the box and take your ideas into directions you might not even have considered. In my spare time – when I don’t meditate – I draw, paint, sculpt, create photos, watch my daughter grow, dig around in the garden, go for long hikes with my dog, play with horses, meet with friends, cook yummy food, and much more. The days are too short!
Creating art has always been my passion. With being an intuitive designer I am living my dream and I am very grateful that I can occupy my days with something I love so much!
Karen