Joy Panos Stauber
President
Creative direction & communications design

Joy believes in design. For her, it’s a way of thinking, an exploration process, and a method to create form. Design is a strategy to find solutions that connect ideas and people. Clients count on Joy for strong leadership, clear concepts, enjoyable collaboration, and excellent execution. She is a multidisciplinary thinker who has worked across many industries to develop creative strategies, visual identity programs, and communications in many forms.

An East Coast transplant, Joy built her career at prominent advertising, design, and digital agencies in Chicago and on the west coast in Portland. She founded Stauber Brand Studio in Chicago to offer clients direct access to a flexible work model that’s focused on delivering strategy and excellence to clients who want a thoughtful and effective alternative for high-priority marketing and communications initiatives.

Joy has served in volunteer leadership roles with the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Chicago, and on several nonprofit marketing committees. She is currently learning Greek, and tends a backyard garden in the summer to cook Mediterranean food.

Nancy Blackwell Bolan
Communications design

Nancy believes that good design helps people connect with businesses, services, and each other by effectively communicating essential and inspiring qualities and values. She creates integrated communications in many media, and has worked with clients in a range of industries. Her experience includes stints at leading design firms and advertising agencies in Chicago, Portland, and Minneapolis.

Nancy also maintains a printmaking practice where she explores visual ideas and processes, examines thoughts and life events, and gets her hands dirty.

Miriam Carey
Content strategy & development

Miriam believes in the transformative power of stories for people and companies. She is an imaginative communicator, content strategist, writer, and storytelling program leader skilled in developing content marketing campaigns for B2B companies. She has deep experience in SaaS tech and, as a person with central vision loss, she is interested in assistive/adaptive technologies that help people with disabilities of all kinds gain access to tech that can help them keep reading.

Author of four books, Miriam is active in Chicago’s live storytelling community. She has performed on The Moth stage and leads storytelling workshops to help “non-writers” find and craft extraordinary stories.