Valerie Wallace

My client partnerships are anchored in twenty-five years’ experience in communications, design, marketing, editing, fundraising, and project management within the arts, nonprofit, and higher education sectors. For me, the process of creating websites occupies a sweet niche that brings together my experience, skills, craftsmanship, and desire to communicate while putting beauty in the world.

My ongoing practice as an editor, teacher, and award-winning poet is foundational to my creative and editorial approach in crafting inspiring digital designs. My goal is to collaborate with you to create purposeful, elegant websites that are a pleasure for your customers and patrons to explore and return to.

Education and skills

I am trained in WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, Drupal, Adobe Creative Suite, coding, and Google Analytics. I hold a BA in Psychology from Bethany College and an MFA in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Testimonials

Please note: most recent testimonials are here

I cannot say enough good things about working with Valerie Wallace. Her work product is superior – creative, distinctive, and effective. She took the time to listen to me and quickly appreciated my needs and goals creating a website that perfectly reflected the character and quality of the services that I offer and that is well suited to my client base. If all that weren’t enough, Valerie was an amazing partner in this project – patient, clear, and understanding. I heartily recommend her without any reservation whatsoever.

 

Alexander Zimmer, Attorney at Law

Valerie gave my website a complete overhaul, both aesthetically and functionally. We had an initial conversation of nearly an hour in which she took all of my ideas and then made them a reality. She added payment options to my site, radically improved my email capturing on the site, and worked with the service I use to distribute my weekly newsletter to make everything seamless. I couldn’t recommend working with Valerie highly enough. She was timely, efficient, and went above and beyond what I’d originally asked for.

Scott Hansen, Hansen Performance

 

Working with a Valerie was simply amazing. She was able to turn my own thoughts and ideas into a creative masterpiece (my website). She is extremely personable and is very passionate about not only her work, but yours as well. I would highly recommend Valerie for all your designing needs!

Emily Connolly, Bambinos Speech and Occupational Therapy 

 

Valerie has become an amazing and critical addition to my team in the final weeks leading up to the opening of my new business ! She initially helped me out in a pinch when I wanted to get my website up and running quickly. Taking the time to listen to the background and structure of my studio, as well as the wants and needs of my layout of my website. Valerie is extremely creative & knowledgeable in her line of work. I have been extremely happy with the layouts and design of my projects. She has very quick response time and has been very flexible with my schedule. I trust that I can give her the basics of what I am looking for, and she will deliver going above and beyond what I expected. From day one of meeting with Valerie I really felt she was invested and cared about my success. I highly recommend working with Valerie !

Rachel Curran, metta baby day spa 

I don’t have anything but positive things to say about Valerie and her diligence in completing our new business website. She took the project into her own hands and ran with it, which is appreciated. (design is so not my jam) She was responsive and on time with the deadline. She took my scattered brain, thoughts & vision and made magic. 10/10 would recommend!!!

Samantha Haberkorn, Truth Med Spa

Valerie was the best!!!! She put every idea we had into action and gave us some good ideas that helped us make decisions or even change course. I would recommend her to anyone needing a website design expertise.

Darrell Reese, Relationship Revitalization

Valerie was a gem to work with. Her ability to listen to what we had wanted and put into our vision of the site. She was prompt, reasonable and responsive. A great partner with our tech needs of the site. Would recommend her to anyone!

Joe Fragale, Evolution of Benefits

Valerie’s professionalism and enthusiasm made this project a joy to complete.

Tywanna Williams, Unto Him Lifestyle

Valerie was quick to understand what I might need after interviewing me. She constructed a beautiful, user friendly, and concise website. She was able to trim the verbosity out of the text. Very impressive presentation. Quick to get to the task and reasonable in price. I highly recommend her.

Dr. John Hughes, Psychologist

 

 

It was a joy working with Valerie on our website redesign. She was creative, receptive to our ideas and very prompt in responding to our questions or requests. Everyone LOVES the new site.

Penny Bessman

Valerie put together a stunning website for a major grant in under a month, produced and disseminated audio and video materials that helped to make our project blog one of the 100 best philosophy blogs in the world, and both worked brilliantly on a team and supervised doctoral student helpers to keep the work of a multi-year grant with many moving pieces moving smoothly and well. I know Valerie as a person stunningly well-organized, amazingly versatile, and almost superhumanly graceful and warm.

Candace Vogler, David B. and Clara E. Stern Professor of Philosophy, University of Chicago

Valerie Wallace created a beautiful and valuable website for my books, blogs and events. I couldn’t be happier with the results; she built it from scratch, and then taught me how to add to it. She is easy to work with, creative and responsive.

Grace Schireson, Author, Zen Abbess, Clinical Psychologist

 

I especially appreciated working with Wallace Design, because I felt instantly reassured that I was working with a knowledgable professional who was responsive to how I wanted my website to appear, and my concerns about cybersecurity. I was given time to consider my options, talk about what I liked, respond to some ideas, give feedback, wasn’t pressured into more bells and whistles than I wanted, and am ecstatic about the results!

Julia Friesen, LCSW, CADC

When I decided I needed a professional website, I had no idea where to begin. Then Valerie Wallace stepped in and saved me! I described my goals & objectives, aesthetic preferences, and sent along a jumbled collection of potential content. She came back with an elegant, user-friendly design, made the construction phase easy, and taught me how to revise and update on my own. I couldn’t be happier with the results–you will love working with Valerie!

Virginia Bell, Writer, Editor, and Teacher

Valerie helped me do what seemed to me an impossible task – transform my dull, static website into a lively, colorful place! She did not impose her vision on me, but after patient listening offered possibilities to fit my creative goals. With Valerie’s equally patient coaching, I can now update it myself, and she’s there for me whenever a complicated maneuver is required. I’m thrilled to have her on my artistic team!

Ellen Hauptli, Artist

Valerie Wallace was a game-changer for RHINO.  She designed an entirely new website which we used for 8 years.  She also initiated our blog and twitter accounts, helped develop our Facebook presence, and spearheaded a more interactive approach for us at book fairs and conferences. In addition, Valerie oversaw the design and management of a new database.  Give her a project and she’ll make it shine!

Ralph Hamilton, Editor-in-chief, RHINO