About Form & Content · · Rose McCoy, Owner-Writer-Designer
Music and marketing design are both pursuits of artful arrangement. They invite interpretation, stimulate emotion, and command engagement. They have rhythm and flow, structure and style, and a hook — a catchy phrase, an evocative image.
But what does music have to do with your marketing plan?
In the early 1990s, Rose McCoy was a professional pianist based in San Francisco. Music didn't pay the bills (surprise!), so she took a day job writing newsletters and grant proposals for a local nonprofit. After writing each issue of the newsletter, Rose took the typed pages and photo prints to a magical place down the road where they were transformed into a great-looking little publication. She started lingering at the studio, peered annoyingly over the designer's shoulder, and thought, "I can do that!" To her delight, she found that telling stories visually felt a lot like making music.
For the next couple of years, Rose worked at a small ad agency. She kept learning, building her portfolio, playing the piano...and envisioning life as an independent designer. Then a recession hit and the wave of layoffs rolling across the city caught up with her.
Rose put her plan for launching Form & Content into hyperdrive and landed her first client in February 1992. That client still counts on Rose for monthly, quarterly and one-off projects throughout year. Longterm clients like this one know that Rose will take on each new project with enthusiasm and heart, and is as devoted to their success as they are themselves.