Founder and spearhead, Idora Caldwell, is no stranger to the world of communications. This Arkansas native originally attended undergraduate school to become a Television Journalist, but ended up in the graphic design profession. Her undeniable talent of work tells you how.

In undergraduate school at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Idora Caldwell was a Mass Communications major, specializing in radio, TV, and film but was always very interested in graphic design/desktop publishing.

“I got my start designing flyers for all my organizations, like the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Union Programming Board. I loved ‘making things pretty!’”

Continuing to feed this fancy, she made sure all of her elective classes were in the Art Department and went onto become the Ivy Leaf Reporter for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. This position was the PR/Marketing Manager of the sorority and was not an easy task. Every aspect of the sorority’s marketing from the creation of the marketing/promotional materials to the radio/PSA commercials were ALL her responsibility.

“Now that I look back . . . being the Ivy Leaf Reporter is really very very similar to what I am doing today with Caldwell Creative. I feel extremely blessed to have had such hands-on experience.”

Still not realizing her calling of a graphic designer, Idora pursued her Masters degree in Journalism at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She was diligent in absorbing the world of TV journalism and landed a prominent internship at KARK-TV (NBC) Channel 4 News. Part of her duties were to shadow every aspect of the news process from the producer to production. Even though she found shadowing the anchors and writing the news stories highly exciting – in production designing the on-air, over the shoulder graphics is where she felt happiest.

“I down-right had a ‘EUREKA’ moment!! And from that point on I changed my course! I finally knew what I really wanted to be in life and I went after it,” she gleams.

Idora knew that she wasn’t ready to go full-scale into graphic design, so she started a hobby graphic design company called N.U.B.I.A.N. Creations in order to establish her name, talent, and overall style. She kept a consistent clientele of party promoters and small business owners. (Most of those clients are still with her today) She was a graphic designer by night and worked a full-time job by day. Her full-time jobs were also in the field, one as the Marketing Coordinator for a non-profit medical association and an Adjunct Instructor at Philander Smith College teaching English and Communication courses.

Frustrated with the Little Rock job market, Idora set her horizons on employment out of state. After months of futile local interviews, she got a call from a Dallas based international rug manufacturing company named Feizy Rugs. She had a week long interview during spring break from Philander Smith College. During her week interview, she was asked to spearhead a special design project and even worked that weekend to complete it. Impressed with her performance, diligence, and dedication – she was asked to join the family company.

After the semester ended, Idora was packed up and ready to move. “I ended the semester on the 20th of May and I was driving my U-Haul truck to Dallas on the 21st!” she excitingly explains.

Dallas quickly proved itself to be a city that would support her entrepreneurial endeavors. So she took a year off from N.U.B.I.A.N. Creations in order to re-structure and re-design her company. With the restructuring came a name change. After many months of polling, market research, and separation anxiety – Caldwell Creative, Marketing & Design would be here new mantra.

Before she could get her new business cards designed and printed, new clients were hearing of her services and starting to beat the doors down. Idora was once again taking on the duality of 2 jobs.
But after years of working at Feizy Rugs, she felt it was time to work for herself.

“In the corporate world there are usually too many ‘chiefs’ affecting and manipulating a design. I didn’t like my creative freedom and knack for design translation stifled. But when I work for myself, the only ‘boss’ I have is the client!”

Even though her departure was melancholy, her legacy definitely succeeds her. She conceptualized the ideas and was the spearhead designer for the 2005 & 2006 ARTS Award won by Feizy Rugs. No other rug company has won 2 consecutive years, and many give credit to the cutting-edge and innovative design of each book.

“Working on both ARTS Award books were 2 of the few times where they left me to my creative freedom – and I guess the proof is in the pudding! That should have been an indication to loosen the reigns!”

Idora Caldwell is continuously taking graphic design to a whole new level by instinctively infusing marketing strategies into her cutting-edge designs. Because of her eclectic experience and educational background, she approaches graphic design and marketing with a more introspective and encompassing eye that many graphic designers don’t possess. You shouldn’t trust anyone else to turn "Your Ideas into Great Design!”