Meet the Illustrator behind Frankie
I am a designer, illustrator and creative with over 20 years of experience bringing ideas to life through storytelling and design. After spending a decade at a leading creative agency and later running my own design studio, I now create branding and visual communication across a vibrant community campus, working with schools, a café, businesses and a local church.
My love for both food and design was shaped from an early age by my Sicilian father, my Italian mother’s incredible cooking, and my parents’ furniture design company. Growing up in a home where creativity and hospitality went hand in hand taught me that the best stories—whether told through food, art or design—have the power to bring people together.
Behind the creativity is a story of overcoming fear. For years, anxiety, perfectionism and the endless “what if?” left me feeling paralysed and hesitant to step into new opportunities. Then God gently challenged me with three simple words: Don’t shrink back. Those words continue to shape how I live, reminding me to embrace the present, create bravely and trust God with the outcome. After all, “Perfectionism kills more dreams than failure ever will.”
When I’m not designing brands, you’ll find me sketching, dreaming up new characters, or teaching Design to curious Grade 8 students. I believe creativity is one of God’s greatest gifts—one that helps us see beauty, solve problems and tell stories that matter.
This is my first illustrated children’s book, and I hope it sparks imagination, wonder and many bedtime rereads.
My favourite Italian motto is one I try to live every day: Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto. Eat well, laugh often, love deeply.
