Alumni Spotlight: Lindsay Beansmith
Tell us about yourself. What do you do?
Hi! I’m Lindsay and I have a lot of titles I go by. Wife, Mom, Daughter, Sister, Bestie, Manager, Creative, but the one on email signature reads Art Director for Hallmark’s Brand Content Studio. I direct, plan, and collaborate on all the posts on Hallmark's social media accounts as well as the individual greeting card lines and manage the artwork for our corporate blog! I am also a founding organizer for the Made in the Middle Creative Conference.
What led you to this profession or why did you choose it?
Hallmark is the reason I work at Hallmark. I chose it cause at the end of the day, our products foster caring and connection, and that’s something I can stand behind and work to push forward. I started at Hallmark as a greeting card designer, moved to our Trends Forecasting studio, and then did a stint in Creative Marketing. Most recently, I’ve had the opportunity to step into a leadership role as the Brand Social Art Director, which means I get to work with a cohort of wildly talented women creating artwork and posts for our beloved brand’s social presence.
What does a typical day look like at your job?
Juggling! I balance collaboration, communication, marketing strategy, and brand goals all day every day. For social posts, we plan the content in monthly cadences – so it’s a solid drumbeat of kickoffs, brainstorms, photo shoots, lettering needs, illustration reviews, scheduling, editorial requests, captioning, revisions, rewrites, refining, reviews, and launching! It’s great work and our team is even greater, which makes everything better.
What is a favorite project you have worked on and why?
In 2019, I led a proof-of-concept pop-up installation called “Art of Celebration” to show how Hallmark could play into that immersive experience trend (think: Museum of Ice Cream or Color Factory.) It was a massive undertaking, with a stellar, multi-talented group of Hallmark creatives, that resulted in an awesome 12 pod pop-up gallery space that explored all the ways we mark significant occasions.
What advice would you give your college self?
SOAK.IT.ALL.IN.
What makes you proud to be a KU Alumni?
If I meet another KU kid, we vibe real quick. Solid folks. And in this industry, when I spot another KU designer on the team, I know to expect a smart, sophisticated, hardworking, quick, and professional creator. We can be spotted a mile away (due to our talent and discipline) and I’ve always loved that.
Anything else you would like to share with a prospective student:
Everybody tells you this, but I’m gonna tell you it again. These are some really great years ahead. You’re the freest you’ll ever be – with room to explore, expand, focus, decide. Enjoy the unknown, enjoy the learning, and for goodness sake – enjoy those student priced basketball tickets.
