Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie Shock.
Laurie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Originally from Ohio, I studied art and design in college. Within a year of graduating, I landed a job with a book publisher in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was there I discovered my love for telling stories. After six years, I started my own boutique book company, Shock Design Books, and moved to Atlanta in 1991. This was all during a time when dramatic changes in the publishing industry were taking place. Macintosh computers liberated publishing, at first bringing more creative control into the hands of designers and eventually launching a revolution as to how books were created and who could publish. As my business took off, much of my success was due to individuals and businesses who wanted to publish books but couldn’t or chose not to go the traditional publishing route. In most cases, they desired control of the process and content but wanted a professional who could help them realize their dream creatively and produce a book of the highest quality. The working relationship is key to that success, being able to make the process and results all about the client’s intent and then translating that visually and narratively.
As my business evolved, I was fortunate to find myself working with a diverse group of clients, including entrepreneurs, fine artists, photographers, and organizations. The majority of the books I create and publish are a high-end coffee table and fine art books. I focused on limiting the number of books I create so that with each project, I can immerse myself into the client’s vision and story and maintain a creatively passionate approach to each book I design and produce. I want the books I create to tell a story with elegance and clarity. I’ve been able to maintain that model for nearly thirty years now and have also become involved in research and writing for many of my clients who need that as well.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I doubt that any business can say the journey has been smooth sailing. In my case, I would say one of the main challenges has been keeping up with the ever-changing technology in software and hardware. When I first started my business, I could take my computer apart and put it back together piece by piece. However, that computer only had 2 MB of RAM and a 20 MB external hard drive! Things have changed dramatically and I no longer have time to be the expert with my computers, external devices, and software.
Please tell us about Shock Design Books.
With the books I create, I feel very fortunate to be able to help people tell stories. Whether they focus on an organization’s history, or an artist’s life’s work, or a nonprofit’s mission, they are all stories about people and our humanity. It’s through those stories that we connect, find commonalities, learn about others, be inspired by each other, and it changes us. We change and influence each other. I also love thinking about the life of books and their stories, how they can touch people’s lives in a viral way and how they can live on well past our own lives. The books take on a life of their own. That feels worthwhile to me. I hope it’s that passion for telling the stories of others that sets me apart.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Every book I create is a collaboration with the artists and people who trust me with their stories, and it is their trust in me that I credit.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ShockDesignBooks.com
- Email: LaurieShock@ShockDesign.com
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