Send me letters from wherever it is you’re going, she said. I will, I promised. If it’s the sort of place I can mail letters from.”
DOC MILO PRODUCTIONS
In 1997, I would help my partner at the time, Sarah, found Doc Milo Productions, Inc. — a boutique social stationery design company initially based in the Old City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where we resided. Named after our favorite monikers for dogs (it doesn’t matter that we named our two puppies Jake and Casey), the company broke new ground for its time in concept, illustration and format. I assisted in running and operating the company, seeing it grow from a single customer and one sales rep our first year to national coverage, a warehouse full of inventory, and total sales closing in on $900K after only our third year in business.
From the design, layout and prepress for products, to the oversight of the company’s computer network and shipping process, I was intimately involved with every aspect of the company’s development and growth. Specific responsibilities included the design and layout of targeted product lines; design, layout, and oversight of the company’s product catalogs, collateral marketing materials and packaging; as well as the design and development of the company’s initial online web presence and strategy. I also packed a lot of boxes in those early days.
Additionally, and although the bulk of our product lines were illustrated by Sarah’s talented hand, I did have a few lines of popular greeting cards that ran for a handful of years. More importantly, Doc Milo is where I gained the majority of my commercial printing, light manufacturing, and prepress knowledge. Unafraid of a press check, this knowledge has been an invaluable tool in my proverbial toolkit, serving me well in all aspects of my career as a graphic designer and visual artist.
Unfortunately, building a company from the ground up and simultaneously keeping a relationship alive is the tallest of tall orders, even when very cute dogs are involved. In 2005 I would officially leave Doc Milo Productions and venture off as a graphic designer and web developer — mainly HTML4/CSS and Flash sites, a few ASP/data-driven sites, almost all of which no longer exist. Doc Milo, now SarahSchwartz.com, continues to churn out great product, and remains in the capable hands of my ex-partner Sarah.
—Jeffrey Scott Miller
Owner & Designer, Studio Jethro
My Life in the A/E Trenches
For more than half of my 25 years working as a designer, I’ve spent the bulk of my time working for firms in the Architectural industry … Read More
The Form that Follows Chaos
More than once in my life I’ve found myself having to throw everything out, in a sense, losing all rules and beginning over … About Studio Jethro
Send me letters from wherever it is you’re going, she said. I will, I promised. If it’s the sort of place I can mail letters from.”
DOC MILO PRODUCTIONS
In 1997, I would help my partner at the time, Sarah, found Doc Milo Productions, Inc. — a boutique social stationery design company initially based in the Old City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where we resided. Named after our favorite monikers for dogs (it doesn’t matter that we named our two puppies Jake and Casey), the company broke new ground for its time in concept, illustration and format. I assisted in running and operating the company, seeing it grow from a single customer and one sales rep our first year to national coverage, a warehouse full of inventory, and total sales closing in on $900K after only our third year in business.
From the design, layout and prepress for products, to the oversight of the company’s computer network and shipping process, I was intimately involved with every aspect of the company’s development and growth. Specific responsibilities included the design and layout of targeted product lines; design, layout, and oversight of the company’s product catalogs, collateral marketing materials and packaging; as well as the design and development of the company’s initial online web presence and strategy. I also packed a lot of boxes in those early days.
Additionally, and although the bulk of our product lines were illustrated by Sarah’s talented hand, I did have a few lines of popular greeting cards that ran for a handful of years. More importantly, Doc Milo is where I gained the majority of my commercial printing, light manufacturing, and prepress knowledge. Unafraid of a press check, this knowledge has been an invaluable tool in my proverbial toolkit, serving me well in all aspects of my career as a graphic designer and visual artist.
Unfortunately, building a company from the ground up and simultaneously keeping a relationship alive is the tallest of tall orders, even when very cute dogs are involved. In 2005 I would officially leave Doc Milo Productions and venture off as a graphic designer and web developer — mainly HTML4/CSS and Flash sites, a few ASP/data-driven sites, almost all of which no longer exist. Doc Milo, now SarahSchwartz.com, continues to churn out great product, and remains in the capable hands of my ex-partner Sarah.
—Jeffrey Scott Miller
Owner & Designer, Studio Jethro
My Life in the A/E Trenches
For more than half of my 25 years working as a designer, I’ve spent the bulk of my time working for firms in the Architectural industry … Read More
The Form that Follows Chaos
More than once in my life I’ve found myself having to throw everything out, in a sense, losing all rules and beginning over … About Studio Jethro
