“Beth is… thorough, detail-oriented, and dedicated to meeting her end of commitments to relevant timelines. She is also an excellent copy editor herself (that has been a happy surprise and bonus)… I find her straightforward, organized, clear and detailed in both her verbal and written exchanges. And while she has her own aesthetic, she in no way imposes it, instead listening carefully for what the author's own might be, and then able to "enter into" that imaginatively and creatively. A writer herself, she also has a special passion and talent, I think, for that intersection of words and graphics. In the case of my own book, I have been especially pleased at the way this has resulted in a kind of dynamic whole in the way both (graphics and words) register visually, and in turn strengthen the impact of the poetry itself. I can't recommend her more highly.”
— Donna henderson, author
“I will never tire of thanking you for doing such beautiful work in such a short time. I went by the Golden Era and Cindy gave me some of the tickets. They are classic. The event is blossoming thanks to the digital products you put together.”
— Patrick Sullivan, Nevada County Consolidated FireFighters
“Beth Ford is a thoughtful and innovative designer, with a keen eye/ear for poetic language. She is truly a poet’s designer, whose close attention to poetic form at all levels is evident throughout her designs. For my book, she offered many different concepts and developed a cover design that was completely different from what I had envisioned but that ultimately suited the book so well, with its merging of beauty and imperfection—and careful consideration of compositional elements of texture, color, and balance. In addition she creates unique interior design elements that complement the work, and again offered multiple options until landing on a subtle and elegant treatment that greatly enhanced the book.”
— valerie witte, poet and editor
"Beth Ford is an intuitive and exceptionally talented designer. I had only a basic idea of what I wanted for the book cover, and Beth took it to heart and returned with an incredible, sophisticated design…. Even after the cover was settled, we went back-and-forth to incorporate details in the book content as well. As talented as Beth is as a designer, she is also an excellent communicator and you will genuinely work together on the final product. I can't recommend Beth Ford enough, and I thank her for her time, attention to detail, patience, and creative talent."
— hannah larrabee, professor & author
“I know it may sound like flattery, but I am genuine when I tell you that your ads are at the top of my favorite list. They are gorgeous!”
— Katrina Ketchum, associated publisher, artslandia Portland
"Beth, your talent and eye for style and design blow me away—always have, always will. I'm so proud to have your work on the cover and layout of this book. Thank you for your vision and attention to every last detail to make this book so gobstoppingly gorgeous."
— ruth culham, on the release of Teach Writing Well, currently ranked No. 1 New Release in Elementary Education by amazon.
"I had the great good fortune to work with Beth at a time when, besieged with deadlines that required immediate attention, she was able to fulfill an impossible pledge to transform our site from something deeply dysfunctional to something wholly operational.
Not only this; her work was clean, crisp and beautiful. Despite the timeframe we gave Beth, she was clearly invested in understanding the nature of and context for Nevada County Arts Council, and made the process so very simple.
I would wish this for any executive needing expert advice and design competency within a tight timeframe - but, unfortunately, it's not always what one gets. I couldn't recommend Beth highly enough."
— Eliza Tudor, Executive Director
Nevada County Arts Council
"Beth Ford is gifted with an eye for both vivid composition and subtle detail. She is able to use small, deft visual gestures to build a beautiful coherence of design. This, together with her extraordinary sensitivity to the written content of my book, made both process and end result of our work together deeply satisfying."
— kelly terwilliger, author
"We first came across Glib Communications on a recommendation from another client. We were seeking a designer for book covers who would work with us to create inspiring, elegant designs.
The process is collaborative the entire time. From concepts to revisions, our wants and requirements are addressed. Plus, Beth is wonderful to work with! The best part of receiving concepts is seeing something new that we never would have envisioned-—and that design then becomes the favorite!
The result is stunning covers that really stand out on the shelves! Beth's approach incorporates the wishes from the authors with our own guidelines, which she then blends with her design ideas. Also a big plus for us is the communication throughout each project is easy and detailed."
— Jean Wright | Marketing Coordinator, International Literacy Association
"Imagine being a writer collaborating with a visual designer. Imagine trusting that designer with your poems, with the responsibility of creating the book in which those poems will live. The designer ultimately creates a cover and interior art work so stunning and evocative and compelling, you could not—until seeing it—have imagined a setting more perfect for your work. If you can imagine this scenario, you’ll know what it’s like to work with Beth Campbell Ford."
— paulann petersen, oregon poet laureate emerita
"I really appreciate how utterly reliable you have been through this whole process. I know that might be a strange thing to point out but you already know how much I love your artistic sense and I think it’s important to add that, having worked in groups and with others in many different guises, I appreciate how knowing someone is reliable removes significant amounts of stress. Thank you."
—d.P., professor and chair, department of english, pacific university
"The Writing Thief was the talk of the conference. IRA had a big ad in the program guide and I had three sessions that were standing room only. I know they sold over 1000 copies on the spot—after my Writing Thief presentation, I signed books for over an hour which is unheard of for a professional book.
The presentations were awesome. Laura’s looked great, in fact, I stopped and told them we were so lucky to work with a designer like you and they applauded how beautiful, easy to follow, and creative they were. Very cool. Several people told me they were buying the book for the cover!!!!"
— Ruth Culham, Ed.D., author and speaker
“Bravo to Imperfect Press for providing the exquisite vehicle to carry Backwards on the Train out into this world. Bound in boards, held in a title-plated envelope, this volume of eleven Dave Jarecki poems is a remarkably classy first book.
Between poems, Imperfect Press intersperses subtle yet evocative graphics, perfect counterpoints to Jarecki’s voice. Wonderfully quirky and elegiac, these poems ring with a resonant, surreal tone that never loses it colloquial power. In both content and presentation, Backwards on the Train is an impressive debut.”
[Imperfect Press is the publishing imprint for Glib Communications]
— oregon poet laureate paulann petersen
“Beth is an absolute joy to work with. She is clearly very passionate about what she does and always comes to the table with multiple ideas and directions. I love that Beth always thinks outside of the box. When she receives a brief she comes back with a wide range of ideas, and I am always impressed by how quickly she is able to turn work around.
She is also very flexible, embraces feedback, and is really thoughtful about how her designs tie back to an overarching marketing strategy. She is a wonderful designer and partner.”
— Julia McGinnis, retail and digital Brand strategist
I never imagined I would have as much input in my book design as I did with Beth Ford (or be as happy as I am with the result). My book was particularly labor-intensive because I carefully shape many of my poems using white space. Beth had endless patience for my requests to shift words around until the poems appeared as desired. When I had second thoughts about the first set of interior illustrations she sent, she magically came up with black and white watercolors that were non-representational but suggested meanings that fit with the arc of the book.
Beth Ford is not just a book designer, but an advocate for poets.
—megan alpert, award-winning journalist & poet
“Beth is a true digital artist. Her command of form, color, art and design are unparalleled. She holds an ability to hear your story and intuitively design from the heart of your words. The art she creates for your business is unlike anything the world has seen and best of all it's a reflection of what you dreamed it could be.”
— Courtney Jarecki, Yancey Red Creative Strategy, vermont/ oregon
“It was a dream to work with Beth. Her eye for detail and design combined with her expertise and creativity resulted in a book I'm honored to say is mine. I appreciated her collaborative approach, and I trusted her professional experience and suggestions wholeheartedly. Beth was responsive, thoughtful, and visionary throughout the process. One of the first questions people ask me when they see the book is "Who designed this?" and I'm delighted to tell them.”
— sarah mccartt-jackson, Kentucky poet, naturalist, and folklorist.
"The Yuba Lit reading series has been beyond fortunate to connect with Beth Ford. Her alluring poster design elegantly conveyed the essence of the event: a warm, thoughtful gathering for a literary community. Beth is an intuitive problem-solver who finds solutions before you’ve even articulated the challenges. Her designs are as exquisite as her demeanor is gracious. How grateful I am to work with her."
— rachel howard, author and founder of yuba lit.org
"Beth has brought so much to my business I can’t imagine where I would be without her. She continually proves to be a essential part of my company.
Every time she produces a piece for the website or my product packaging my jaw drops at the insight and beauty she has brought to a rather challenging topic: livestock parasites.
Beth also has extensive knowledge about internet identity and how to be successful at e-commerce. She really has my back on things I might have never discovered or known my business needed. "
— christine court, eggzamin.com
“She will help you sort out what you need and what you don’t. She’ll come up with original solutions to tricky problems. She’ll stay within your budget and give you the highest quality. Beth Ford is an artist. And she is a technology guru. Imagine working with someone who has both sets of skills to keep you out of trouble with your web, your blog, your emails, your anything technology. Rare. And wonderful.”
— ruth culham, author of The traits of writing
"....a delight to work with! Not only is she a gifted artist, but she listens well, is very responsive, and always positive. She cares about getting it right. We couldn’t be happier with Beth’s work for us! “
— Alyson Illich, The Merlot Notes
"WOW!!!! So much better than I could have dreamed. Will study these carefully and give you feedback tomorrow. I love it all (could we utilize everything?) You are the best."
— J. B.
“We are thrilled with the website —it is so much more original and effective than we had imagined possible. It will really knock the wigs off the British lawyers and even the Americans. Email thanks are not enough to express our happiness and pride. Congratulations in 160 pt Bold Helvetica Black repeated indefinitely a la Nepali prayer wheel might begin to express our gratitude and happiness. It has been a joy to work with you.”
— C. W., sustainable law institute
"Airlie Press underwent a significant period of change, from moving its home base from Monmouth, OR to Portland, OR to a change in the makeup of its membership, and in the spirit of that change we decided to update the look of the poetry books we published as well as the press itself. In a few short months of working with Glib Communications, our press has been revitalized and energized. We have a new logo, two beautiful books of poems with eye catching covers and attractive layouts, and new insights on how to promote our work visually. It was a risk changing direction in the midst of a host of other changes but this was a risk that has meant a flourishing of the press."
— darlene pagan, airlie press
"YOU'RE BRILLIANT. REALLY YOU ARE. I feel so spoiled to have your talents for this project. Thank you, this is perfect!"
— R.C., NEVADA CITY
“She takes the time to really understand who you are and what you do. Then she brings a portfolio of ideas and images and language to capture the spirit of what you are trying to communicate. She is generous in providing options. She speaks volumes in short phrases. The images she creates are rich, powerful and beautiful.”
