Kat Topaz is one of the nation’s top newspaper designers. Her artistic sense is both very cool and very smart. Through her leadership, Willamette Week has a design that’s inspired the rest of the country. As a consultant to the Santa Fe Reporter, she’s been superb in her assessments of our needs in training, design, and equipment. Her enthusiasm about graphic design and the newspaper business will excite everyone she works with. She’s worked for me for seven years and she’s been the best graphic designer I’ve ever known.

A number of years ago, our company had the pleasure of employing Katherine Topaz as both production manager and art director. Years later, her impact on this company still yields benefits. From pure art skill, to her effective departmental management style, to a work ethic second to none, Katherine exemplifies the ideal employee.

Katherine left our paper for a similar position in Portland, Oregon. From that time onward, her success is well documented. Not only did her work for Willamette Week bring her industry-wide recognition for her re-design of that newspaper, but she also gained notoriety as a featured and respected teacher at industry conventions hosted by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. Her expertise is sought after from coast to coast. If you are seeking someone possessed of art and production skills, who is also creative, a visionary and who is able to direct a group of fellow artists,you needn’t look further than Katherine.

It was an honor and pleasure to work with and to know Katherine Topaz. It remains an honor to be affiliated with her. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me.

Katherine Topaz consulted for us during a critical time of creative transition. In a three month window she led our several departments in healthy and somewhat unprecedented interaction, improving communication and productivity and building mutual respect that will pay long-term dividends. She did not inflict her design on us, but helped us articulate what changes we wanted to make. She taught us how to look at the big picture, and gave us the skills we needed to get there. She did it like a wizened diplomat.

Thanks again for creating a truly distinctive publication. I don't think there is anything quite like it. I hope we can continue to work on this and other projects. You're an invaluable part of the team!