this website is under construction. please take everything you see here with a grain of salt. and a lime. and also the rest of the margarita.
fiercely collaborative all-arounder
& professional
word girl.
about me, your way
Pick a voice, and I'll tell you all about myself.
or skip to the boring stuff
about me, your way: young
hi! my name’s jessi.
i’m 33 (and a half) years old, i wear glasses, and i love making up the best words to go with other peoples’ pictures. (sometimes i even make pictures, too!)i like to find just the right way to say something to make people laugh, smile or learn something interesting. my number one favorite way to work is the buddy system—everything’s more fun when you do it together, even grown-up jobs.
about me, your way: snarky
Are you looking for a professional spitballer? Idea guy?
I talk fast, think faster, raise the average IQ of every meeting I walk into and work best on a deadline.Bullshit is an art form, but cutting through it is, too. I know how to hack a convoluted messaging strategy into the sharpest, clearest, shortest lines possible, because I know copywriting is at least 90% delete key and I fear nothing.I survived design school and all I got was therapy bills, immediately hired for job in my field, and a total lack of regard for my own sleep schedule. Try me.
about me, your way: writerly
As a writer & designer, human activity, relationships, and connections enthrall me—this fixation is what compels me to write, and constantly work to facilitate effective and meaningful communication.I love collaboration. Anything one brain could do, we can do together with more complexity and more joy. My favorite thing is feeling a concept winding in the air between people and refining it into something functional, useful, and important.We as culture-makers have the privilege and responsibility of defining the expectations, inventing the language, and setting the syntax… and I'm so excited to be part of the dialogue.
about me, your way: imagistic
roses are red, violets are blue,
someday i'll have time to write this one, too!
about me, your way: technical
Jessi R. Wilson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2013 with a BFA in both Graphic Design & Creative Writing.She started her career working as the sole copywriter and UX designer at a small marketing agency in Overland Park, Kansas. Her responsibilities there varied widely by client and team, including but not limited to: writing for print, digital and radio for both adult and child audiences, development and execution of graphics for visual branding, identity, products, packaging and collateral, and designing digital gameplay experiences.
about me, your way: heartfelt
Ever since I was a little kid with a great big vocabulary, I’ve had a passion for helping people communicate.Connecting the dots and finding the words that help people reach a better, clearer understanding of one another—that's my calling, both personally and professionally, and I feel deeply fortunate to have found my place in a field that cherishes these strengths and lets me do my part to make the world a more understanding place.
about me, your way: chatty
If you’re looking for a unicorn who can pick the perfect typeface, craft complex strategy into eye-catching copy and think all the way around the proverbial box, you’ve come to the right website.Why?Because I'm proud to be a wordsmith, a pixel-pusher and a bézier ace... and they only say that line about "jacks of all trades" because they're jealous.
About
Senior-level copywriter, art director and UX designer based out of Kansas City.
Past clients include: Arby's, Sonic Drive-in, Raising Cane's, Denny's, Red Lobster, JW Marriott, Gaylord Hotels, Ritz Carlton, and many more.
| Education | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Art Institute | Graphic Design & Creative Writing | BFA |
| Experience | ||
|---|---|---|
| Burns & McDonnell | Proposal Strategist—Graphics + Copy | 2023-present |
| C3 Brand Marketing | Senior Copywriter/ Art Director | 2013–2022 |
| KCAI Writing Lab | Writing Tutor | 2009–2013 |
| This Land Press | Design Intern | 2012 |
| Midwest Sporting Goods | Designer | 2004–2012 |
"about me" really
I'm a simple machine for turning iced tea into dance moves.I also play beer league hockey, knit unfinished sweaters, and compete with my synchronized figure skating team.*
My partner and I live in an old Kansas City shirtwaist house with our very loud, very soft cat.
*FAQ: Yup, figure skating on ice. Yes, it's a real sport, and you're right, it absolutely SHOULD be in the Olympics; it's WAY cooler than curling (no offense to curling). And hell yes we fall down sometimes—but most importantly of all, we get back up.
Year in Review
More Than a Cup
Arby's Kids
How to be Kid-Friendly
Limeades for Learning
Fall Fling Logo
V-Day Branding
Sonic Joke Books
Arby's kids
I've had the privilege of working on this account for almost my entire career, and thus have seen this program through many iterations. As a creative lead, I managed a team through the concept and pitch process that culminated in the development of the current visual identity with designer/illustrator Britt Bogdan, which won an AIGA Award for packaging design.
days in motion: a year in review
I turned 12 months of hand-collected data around my own sports, hobbies and activities into this infographic I published to my dance/figure skating instagram account.
more than a cup
Developed as part of a series of branded pieces for C3, this cup—alongside a paper meal bag and a box of crayons—demonstrates the way C3 sees the world differently, through kids' eyes, and is able to spot the opportunities others might be missing.
Concept and copy by Jessi Wilson, design and illustration by David Terrill, paper craft and stop motion by Matt Hawkins.
how to be kid friendly
Developed in collaboration with illustrator Lauren Seider, this award-winning pair of infographics features primary research on how restaurants can be more welcoming to families.
UMKC V-DAY BRANDING & design
A pro-bono branding & design project in support of the UMKC Women's Center and Violence Prevention & Response Program, and their annual community production of the Vagina Monologues.
Design Process
Final Logo
Show Poster
logo design & process
A small selection of logos I've worked on from agency, freelance and pro-bono work.
WRITING & COPY
Joke books, eblasts, verbal identity, radio scripts, articles, and various other writing samples.
have you eaten your ice cream today?
If not, you may be one of the only ones who hasn’t. The average American eats ice cream one and a half times a week, and 9 out of 10 households have some in the freezer right now. July is National Ice Cream Month, and whether you tend to stick to traditional flavors or aren’t afraid to branch out into the more palate-broadening trends like spices and herbs, ice cream is here to raise your spirits and freeze your brain.Ice cream is big business: more than 1.5 billion gallons of ice cream are produced every year, and the amount the average household spends on it is expected to grow 16% by 2019.So how do ice cream makers figure out how to keep buyers coming back for more? According to Carvel executive chef Dave Fenner in an interview with NRN, they’re not afraid to make friends —pairing up with other big brands like Nutella and Oreo makes for great recognition and sales. Seasonal flavor LTOs like pumpkin and peppermint entice ice cream eaters even in the off-season and make for great get-it-while-you-can additions to a meal out.There’s no denying ice cream is having a moment this year. “Better-for-you” options like fat-free, low-carb, no sugar added, lactose-free and plus-extra-nutrients capitalize on a health halo effect (there’s even an organic ice cream shop in L.A. known for its 4 day, $200 ice cream cleanse), and there’s a movement towards “artisanal” ice cream with unexpected flavors enhanced by flowers, fruits, and even bacon. More than half of Americans say ice cream is their favorite summertime sweet!It’s no surprise that kids love ice cream, too. Almost a third of kids Youthbeat surveyed ate either ice cream or frozen yogurt the day before the survey, and they get excited about new and different flavors, too: Fenner says kids also gravitate towards “cotton candy and fruity cereal flavors, and bubble gum, of course.” And while opinions vary, we’re pretty confident about one thing—kids are choosing chocolate as their all-time favorite. 84% of kids listed chocolate as a top flavor… followed by peanut butter, cinnamon, strawberry-banana, blue raspberry, strawberry, and orange. Notice who didn’t make the list? That’s right—vanilla, the number one flavor among adults, and the most common ice cream flavor in restaurants.
Ice cream is big business: more than 1.5 billion gallons of ice cream are produced every year, and the amount the average household spends on it is expected to grow 16% by 2019.
Speaking of grown-ups, their picks are a little more varied… but vanilla and chocolate typically top the list. Runners-up include cookies ’n’ cream, strawberry, and mint chocolate chip…or is that butter pecan, rocky road, coffee, and neapolitan? This year’s Zagat Summer Foods survey even suggests that vanilla has been unseated as the king, putting cookies ’n’ cream at the top.So how do we decide, lined up at the ice cream counter, standing in the grocery store aisle, or ordering dessert after a meal out? Both kids and adults are intrigued by ice cream experiences that reference other things they love to eat and drink, whether that’s fruit, candy, other desserts and bakery treats like cakes and cookies, or even beverages like hot chocolate or lemonade. It’s amazing how much more surprise and delight you can get out of an old stand-by when you start to think outside vanilla—not just for the young, but also the young-at-heart.Summer production is in full swing, so there should be plenty of ice cream, both novel and familiar, in stores and in restaurants, to keep American families cool through the rest of the year.
Contact
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