Ann Willoughby is an American graphic designer and founder of Ann Willoughby & Associates based in Kansas City.
Biography
Willoughby was born in 1946 in Jackson, Mississippi. She attended the University of Southern Mississippi and received her BFA in fine art and design in 1968. In 1972, she met Milton Glaser at the Aspen Design Conference. At the time, she was thinking of quitting and Glaser advised her to stick with it and in 1974, she started her small design business. This allowed her time for her family and to do the work she wanted to do. She attracted many talented women looking for the flexibility to accommodate life with children, which was unheard of at the time. In 1978, she founded Ann Willoughby & Associates in Kansas City where she has worked with Lee Jeans, Einstein Bros. Bagels, and Hallmark. Her firm still supports young female designers and has worked on a variety of design initiatives. Willoughby received an AIGA medal in 2014. She was the first in the association’s Kansas City chapter to receive the medal.
Willoughby Design
History
Ann Willoughby & Associates now known as Willoughby Design was founded in 1978 in Kansas City. In 2003 her firm redesigned public transportation in Kansas City. Willoughby and her firm are responsible for some of Kansas City's most recognizable designs. Her firm has worked with many clients such as Interstate Brands Corp., H&R Block, and Lee Apparel Co. They design ads, sales materials, and annual reports. They have also created ads, logos, and packaging for J.E. Dunn Construction Co., the Country Club Plaza, and Farm to MarketBread Co. In 1989, the annual revenue was less than $500,000. Willoughby sold 70 percent of her company to LPK in 1989, which was one of the top 10packaging design firms in the country. After five years, LPK sold the interests back. In 1996, the firm saw an increased revenue of about $1.7 million. One of her most recognizable work was her firm's design for the Bagel & Bagel chain of restaurants first opening in 1987. The design survived a merger in 1995 with three other regional bakeries. They also launched a new coffee identity for Bagel & Bagel and continued to do more identity and packaging projects.
Clients
Willoughby Design has worked and continues to work with many clients over the years. The company works with many different client types such as civic and non-profit, corporate health & wellness packaging, restaurant, and retail. The company offers many different services such as brand identity, brand strategy, campaigns, consumer goods, digital, environments packaging, and video.
Non-profits
Willoughby Design has created campaigns for Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, Deliver Now for Women and Children, and AIGAGet Out The Vote. In 2012, Willoughby partner Zack Shubkagel served as National Chair for the Get Out the Vote project by AIGA and designed poster displays in Kansas City and at New York City's National AIGA Offices.
Corporate
Corporate clients have included brand systems for veterinary companies, Neenah Paper, and health and wellness companies.
