FOUNDER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR, BAKER CREATIVE, GROVEPORT OH
Baker Creative is an award-winning marketing, public relations, human resources and brand management firm founded in 2003.
Cuthbert is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design and has taught at three local colleges and universities – Columbus State Community College, Columbus College of Art & Design and Capital University.
She was profiled in the Hispanic Stars Rising: Volume III book and honored by Ohio Business magazine as being among 500 of the most influential people in Ohio, with her firm being named one of the Best Workplaces in Ohio and a Best in Ohio Business. Cuthbert received the Chief Marketer Market Like A Mother Award and her firm received the Torch Award for Ethics from the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio. She is the host of the award-winning Baker Creative BusHuddle (BusinessHuddle) podcast and founder of The Office Mommy blog supporting working mothers.
Cuthbert has decades of experience working with leading brands, including McDonald’s, Ohio State University Hospital, Columbus Crew, Columbus Blue Jackets, NAPA, Ohio Tourism, Visit Florida, OhioHealth and Benary. She is Edge certified, a recipient of the Columbus Business First 40 Under 40 Award, and been recognized as a leading female chief executive officer by Columbus CEO magazine.
In addition to the headquarters office near Columbus, Baker Creative established two satellite offices in the United States and two in Europe. Cuthbert’s pro bono portfolio has assisted groups including firefighters and hurricane victims.
As we pivot into a post-pandemic era marked by societal challenge and change, are you optimistic about the future of Graphic Design to support and shape commerce, culture and causes? Why do you feel the way you do? Are you optimistic about the future of your own design career or business?
Yes, I am optimistic about the future of graphic design. There are always new tools coming in as AI — Artificial Intelligence — is now. You can see it as a threat or as an asset. I believe marketing is a people business. They may look at AI as a magic bullet, but there are still pitfalls which warrant a person to be part of the process. AI doesn’t replace the person if used appropriately. AI can’t replace creativity.
We are seeing an increased focus on Package Design to advance the brand, tell the story, amplify the experience, forge an emotional connection. Do you agree with this observation and, if so, what advantages does packaging have over other graphic communications?
Packaging has a 3-D capacity. You can hold it in your hand. It feels tangible versus a flat, digital image. And there are trends I see in package graphics. For example, in package graphics in the cannabis industry, there is either simplicity or it looks like the Grateful Dead graphics. One speaks to culture, one to the commercialization of cannabis. What’s the unique selling proposition of the product if all the visuals are similar?
