Frances graduated from Bard College in 1990 with BA in painting—paintings mostly with words. Then a four year stint in New York at FPG International, (bought by Getty Images) researching stock photographs. In 1994 she went back Upstate to work at the Bard publications office started to fool around with Photoshop and Quark so it was a natural progression to graphic design.

Most colleges used garish chunky type laid over screens of purple and red, but at Bard elegance was the name of the game. Quiet simplicity. I added as much fun and sass as I could get away with and continue the same practice to this day, trying to design with clarity, fun, with pure communication.