Retail Design | Debbie Walker

Love

I am lucky to have had the opportunity to work with so many world-class colleagues and clients, many who have become life-long friends.

Steve Weeks

Sr. Textile Design Manager

Steve managed Debbie at Walmart from 2006-2008

Debbie is a hard-working self-starter who invariably understands exactly what a project is all about from the outset, and how to get it done quickly and effectively. During her two years in product development, I cannot remember an instance in which she missed a deadline. She often brought projects in above expectations, and several completed ahead of schedule.

Debbie is a resourceful, creative, and solution-oriented person who was frequently able to come up with new and innovative approaches to her projects. As the team’s leader, she instilled a high degreeof loyalty, respect and integrity with all subordinates, peers and supervisors alike.Her selfless service gained her respect from all cross-functional teams.

On the interpersonal side, Debbie gets along extremely well with staff under her supervision, as well as colleagues at her own level. She is highly respected, as both a person and a professional, by colleagues, employees, suppliers, and customers alike. It is a real pleasure working with her and I look forward to many more projects with her.

2006 - 2008 & 2008 - 2014 | Senior Textile Design Manager

Rebecca Lane

Rebecca LaVonne Studios

Rebecca directly reported to Debbie at Walmart from 2006-2008

Debbie is a great manager and friend. By using Debbie as a tool of mentorship she has taught me many things about management that I plan to implement in the near future. She believes in working smart not working hard...her ability to work above and beyond expectations and still have a great time is most impressive to me. She has taught me the importance of always pushing above and beyond current expectations. She excels at merchandising as well as design and illustration. This past year with Debbie has been amazing and I hope that we can continue to work together.

Felicia Peppers

Textile Designer
Felicia directly reported to Debbie at Walmart from 2012-2014

I had the pleasure of working on an incredible, talented team lead by Debbie.

She always thinking what’s best for her customers and balances what’s best for her team, as a leader, at the same time. With amazing knowledge, perception, dedication, and artistic talent it was indeed an honor to have her as not just a manager, but also as a mentor.

Michelle Weisse

Sr. Textile Design Manager
Debbie was senior to Michelle, but did not manager her at Walmart from 2012-2014

I worked with Debbie at Walmart’s Home Office in Apparel Product Development. She is one of the most creative and prolific artists I’ve ever been lucky enough to work with. Debbie’s work is dynamic and she is a dynamo. It was a pleasure working with her for 2 years.

Debbie is the real deal. She truly seems to be passionate about all facets of art and design. She is a problem solver. She is personable, professional, energetic and caring. She’s friendly, open and easy to get along with.

I’ve seen her in action as a highly creative and passionate artist whose work inspires everyone in the department. Debbie’s work is skillful, high quality and award worthy. Her work is original and creative. It is also relevant. Debbie’s work is so good that she quickly becomes an important part of the team. Consequently, her work is integral to the entire product development process.

George Doran

Prototype Implementation Manager

George and Debbie worked in different groups at Walmart

Debbie and I worked together on a store with in a store project, called Walmart Wireless. It miraculously that took a small army of team members approximately six months from concept to completion.

Our departments were fully engaged due to tight timelines and the fact that the project was a new major initiative for the company. The outcome has been remarkable and will be continuing forward with many stores adopting the Wireless stand alone store this year.

Debbie was the key to the design process and also coordinated many of the other efforts relating to cross-functioning departments. She was always professional, thorough, attentive to detail, and friendly though the entire project length.

It was a joy working on the same team with her and I would value and recommend her input on others projects that I will become involved with in the future.

Good job, Debbie, and hope to be working with you again real soon!

Jeff Smith

Director of Marketecture at J-2 Creative

Jeff freelanced for Debbie

at Saatchi & Saatchi X and also at Walmart

Debbie was great to work with. Her sense of humor and easy-going personality were refreshing during crisis deadlines. She is very creative and has a wonderful ability to work with other creative personalities. I would really enjoy the opportunity to work with Debbie again.

Tony Rogers

Owner at Rogers Design and Development Services LLC

Debbie worked with Tony in the same group at Walmart

Debbie is one of the most impactful people that I have come across in the design industry. Her understanding of the design process is top in her class. She also has a great eye and passion for state of the art design. This combination has allowed her to influence her piers, managers and design community. I look forward to working with her on future projects.

Ashley Brettin

Project Manager

Debbie was senior to Ashley but didn't manage directly
at Walmart

Debbie is a very talented, passionate and hardworking individual. She gives her all to every project she's involved with and always produces quality results. On top of being crazy talented, she is a lover of people and strives to be an asset and friend to every team she is a part of. I have learned much from her over the time we have worked together; valuable information that has grown me as both a designer and business minded person. She is an exceptional woman that I feel privileged to know and work alongside.

Robert Rutledge

Global Store Development Strategist & Retail Designer

Debbie and Robert worked together in the same group at Walmart

I've known Debbie for many years and had the pleasure of working with her
for a few as well. I can say with authority that Debbie is one of the most talented designers I've ever known. Her eye for detail and strategic thinking is a great asset in any given situation and her tenacity for delivering great work is practically an innate quality.

Larry Cole

Owner/President ColeComm

Debbie and Larry worked in the same group at Walmart

What I can tell you about Debbie is that she knows how to eat the elephant while herding cats.

Debbie has a way of taking extremely complex problems, identifying the key objectives, and developing a multifaceted game plan which is both measurable and achievable. Then, she goes on to motivate internal and external resources to deliver on those objectives. Whats more, she has foresight to identify potential obstacles in advance and develops contingency plans to deal with these hurdles before they become show-stoppers. Beyond this, Debbie is also very personable and employs both the skills and diplomacy required to motivate others to deliver the goods every time. If your opportunity requires someone who can juggle lots of balls with a smile and a plan, Debbie is certainly up to the task.

Bryan Gott

Principal, Creative Strategist at GOTT

At Saatchi & Saatchi X Bryan freelanced for Debbie

I worked with Debbie (Hammer) Walker as a creative freelancer while she was at Saatchi & Saatchi X. Debbie was very organized in her approach and brought a strong level of creative and strategic thinking to bear on her projects. She dealt fairly and efficiently with the team and communicated the various deliverables/expectations clearly. I would certainly recommend her.

Michael Crutchfield

Creative Director - Packaging

Debbie and Michael
worked together at
Saatchi & Saatchi X

Steve Snediker

Influencing a new generation of Digital Storytellers

Debbie and Steve
worked together at
Saatchi & Saatchi X

Debbie is a passionate creative, who always went above and beyond to deliver great work. She strove to understand the client's need, the audience she was speaking to and the strategies required to deliver the goods.

I appreciated Debbie's direct communications – not afraid to push back, not afraid to redirect, and not afraid to give credit where credit was due.

She has my recommendation.

Courtney Henderson

Senior Marketing Manager
at Dell

Courtney worked with
Debbie in different groups
at Saatchi & Saatchi X

Since meeting Debbie years ago when I first started out at Saatchi & Saatchi X, she's always been a dear friend of mine. Her talent is endless and her reputation with both creative and account service has always been top notch. Debbie constantly has a smile on her face and her can-do attitude is contagious. I loved working with Debbie because of her creative spirit and will to always keep pushing for great ideas. She was extremely well-respected at Saatchi and I am very lucky to have had the pleasure of working with her.

Shannon Kaiser

Best-Selling Author, International Life Coach, Speaker, and Travel Writer

Debbie was senior to Shannon but didn't manager directly at Saatchi & Saatchi X

Debbie is a pleasure to work with, as she has a strong work ethic and passion
for design. She makes a great team partner because she is willing to get in the trenches and solve problems with a keen eye for detail and a strategic focus.

Vicki Tiefer

Directer of Accounts Services

Debbie and Vicki worked together at Go East Design

Debbie's approach to a creative project was always well thought out and included a rationale that made it easy to sell as an account service professional. Her results were always a thrill to "sell" and for the client to adopt.

Debbie was expert at gathering additional information to take the project the extra mile. She is truly gifted.

Kirsi Dahl

Brand Communications Manager

Debbie and Kirisi worked
at Go East Design in the same group

The first day Debbie started at Go East, I included her in a meeting with some long-time clients to discuss merchandising options for Lowes. Her ability to
jump right in, ask the right questions and get to the bottom of the specific
need was incredible!

Over the course of the next few years that we worked together, I was continually impressed by the level of creativity that exuded from her. She was able to routinely deliver spot-on creative options that met the client's objectives.

Tim Deis

CFO at Thread Connected Content

Tim was the President of
Go East Design

Debbie has a passion for excellence in the challenging world of design. When the pressure is on, you can count on her upbeat and creative mind to meet the challenge.

Scott Whitman

Communicator, Creative, Facilitator, Producer, Storyteller

Scott and Debbie worked
at Colle + McVoy in the same group

I had the distinct pleasure of working with Debbie when we served on the same account team at Colle+McVoy. Debbie is passionate about her creative work and dedicated to serving her clients. She's a true branding visionary, a problem-solver and an amazing creative talent. She's also a blast on a photo shoot location! She takes her work seriously, but knows how to have fun and keep the whole team engaged.

Lisa McChesney

Sr. Production Manager

Lisa and Debbie worked
at Colle + McVoy in
different departments

I worked with Debbie at Colle + McVoy. Debbie was a real pleasure to work with...she is a wonderfully talented designer. I worked as a production artist and enjoyed working on Debbie's projects because they were always very organized and well designed. A production artists dream. I would work with
her again in a heartbeat!

Kevin Barlow

Owner, Creative Director, Producer at Fusion Studios

Debbie and Kevin worked
in different groups at
Colle + McVoy

Debbie is a polished Designer and Art Director. She has the creative vision and imagination to bring very complicated marketing and design projects to fruition. Debbie has the skills to manage many people and the discipline to cover all the details. I couldn't recommend Debbie more for any design or computer graphics project.

Cynthia Clanton

Sr. Account Manager

Cynthia worked with
Debbie in different groups
at Colle + McVoy

Debbie is a caring, creative designer who always works to understand the emotions underlying the buying decision and strives to provide the best product for her clients.

Jane Gfrerer

Sr. Content Specialist, Writer, Editor, Med/Tech Writer

Jane worked with
Debbie in different groups
at Colle + McVoy

Debbie creates top-notch designs with a high level of artistry, creativity and professionalism. She can produce a wide range of styles, from "corporate" to "edgy." It was a real pleasure working with her at Colle+McVoy.

Toni D'Eramo

Marketing Outfitters, Founder

Toni worked with Debbie at Cambell Mithun Esty now (McCann Minneapolis)

Debbie is an incredibly talented art director and was always a pleasure to work with. She's a positive person who brings smarts and a smile to the task at hand. Debbie is also an extremely talented artist, and I'm lucky enough to have a couple of her illustrations.

Mary Lou HildalgoMarketing Freelance Writer, Message Strategist

Mary Lou and Debbie worked in the same group at Cambell Mithun Esty now (McCann Minneapolis)

Debbie has a rare blend of talent and energy, inspiration and follow-through. I enjoyed working with her greatly and miss crossing paths with her, personally as well as professionally.

Donna Menzies

Chief Recruiter at Moxie Talent Group

Donna and Debbie worked together at Campbell Mithun Esty now (McCann Minneapolis)

I loved working with Debbie. She's what I would describe as an Art Director with a strong design sense. Her work was always fresh and she always brought her passion and energy to every project.

Brandy Morgan

Developer, Growth Hacker
and Speaker

Brandy is a client
of Debbie's at igo2create

Working with Debbie is a serious delight. She knows her stuff and then some. Her way of articulating ideas and concepts through design is like no one I have worked with before. She is very thorough and detail oriented. You can give her an idea and she will run with it and deliver far more than expected. Debbie is a true titan of the design world.

Jill Wheeler

Head, Sustainable
Productivity, Syngenta

Jill was a client of Debbie's

Debbie has a unique talent for translating complex concepts into visually arresting yet intuitively understandable designs. She is a pleasure to work with as well.