When Stacy Innocenti was young, she was fascinated with product design. “In stores, when you see the packaging on a shampoo bottle, I was always interested and fascinated with the production of that and the design behind that,” she said. “That’s really always what interested me, aesthetically.”
That early interest has turned into a career for Innocenti, who is now a full-time graphic designer for a tennis management company.
Innocenti graduated from Dublin High School in 2006 and went on to Tarleton State University to study business. She soon found that business wasn’t her forte, and she wanted a more creative career. “Tarletondidn’t really offer anything in graphic design or communication design, so I explored some Texas schools and applied for Texas State University and got accepted in 2008,” she said.
“I did not have any graphic design experience before I started the communication program at Texas State,” she said. “I just knew I was interested in design and advertising, and it kind of fueled my interest and propelled me to go that way.”
She graduated in 2012 with her bachelors of fine arts in communication design. After graduation, Innocenti found her first job at a small advertising agency in downtown Dallas.
“Our boss would go out to clients and ask for anything that their small business needed,” she said. “You know, business cards, a new website. With small businesses you’re starting from the ground up. So that’s kind of where I got my feet wet.”
Innocenti moved down to Corpus Christi and decided to try her hand at freelance design work. Then, she moved back to Stephenville and took a designer job at Response Products, a health foods store.
In 2015, Innocenti found a job in San Marcos at Capitol Wright Distributing, a branch of Miller Lite’s distribution company, as one of their in-house designer and print shop manager.
In 2017, Innocenti found a job at tennis management company Cliff Drysdale Tennis as a graphic designer. She moved to New Braunfels for the position, and has worked as the company’s graphic designer for eight years now.
An average week is quite busy for Innocenti. The company manages tennis clubs, hosts tournaments, and puts out print publications such as a quarterly magazine. “I make all their collateral, print, web, on court signage for all of our 50+ clubs,” she said. “It’s been very rewarding to build brands within our portfolio and see our business growth over the years.”
Innocenti loves having a job where she gets to be creative every day. “I definitely have no plans to switch careers,” she said. “I really like this company, and I’ve been with them for a long time, so I am looking forward to just growing with the company.”
When she’s not working, Innocenti stays busy taking care of her two children, Corbin, 5 and CC, 3. “My kids have definitely inspired me to continue to work hard,” she said.
Another of her sources of inspiration is her grandmother, Betty Pratt, a resident of Dublin for over 42 years. “Granny has always been my rock, my biggest, number one fan,” says Innocenti. “I work hard because of her, because she’s taught me a lot of values. She’s a hard working woman; she’s [in her 80s] and she still cares for the elderly a couple of days throughout the week. I look up to her greatly and would not be as successful in my life without her love, support and guidance.”
Innocenti’s advice to Dublin graduates is to not be afraid to leave home to explore their interests. “In a small town you’re kind of limited in what you can do, especially if its in a field that’s not prevalent there,” she said. “Just work on yourself and pursue your interests [wherever that may take you].”
Where are they now chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@ dublincitizen. com.