Working with Brilliant Women
03/08/26
International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8 honors the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women—and reminds us how much we gain from one another’s leadership and mentorship.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with brilliant women, including Toni Morrison and Julia Child. Today, I celebrate them alongside the remarkable women I work with every day, including our clients and the talented team at Odgis + Co.
Early in my career, my longtime friend and mentor Barbara Plumb took me under her wing when I was a junior designer at Random House. Barbara was a celebrated editor at Pantheon Books who assigned me to design coffee table books and museum publications for her authors. She also introduced me to leading designers and architects. At the time, she was also the Living Editor at Vogue and the author of several acclaimed books on interior design and photography. She opened doors and set a standard for excellence that still guides me.
Toni Morrison was an acquiring editor at the time, and I had the honor of designing covers for some of the books she brought into the world. Toni poured her heart and soul into everything she did. She later became one of America’s most celebrated novelists, winning both the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. Her novel Beloved was adapted into a film starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover, and she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
When I first started Odgis + Co, I was asked to design Julia Child’s classic cookbook, The Way to Cook. Julia taught me a crucial lesson about the user experience. She insisted that the step-by-step instructions and images always appear on the same page as the recipe. Words and images had to work together to create something greater than the sum of their parts, just like a delicious meal. Her book wasn’t simply an instruction manual; it was a collection of stories, each building on the last so the reader could truly understand the underlying principles of cooking.
I carry the lessons of these remarkable women with me every day. Fearless ideas, clear storytelling, and generous mentorship have shaped my path, and continue to shape our work.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with brilliant women, including Toni Morrison and Julia Child. Today, I celebrate them alongside the remarkable women I work with every day, including our clients and the talented team at Odgis + Co.
Early in my career, my longtime friend and mentor Barbara Plumb took me under her wing when I was a junior designer at Random House. Barbara was a celebrated editor at Pantheon Books who assigned me to design coffee table books and museum publications for her authors. She also introduced me to leading designers and architects. At the time, she was also the Living Editor at Vogue and the author of several acclaimed books on interior design and photography. She opened doors and set a standard for excellence that still guides me.
Toni Morrison was an acquiring editor at the time, and I had the honor of designing covers for some of the books she brought into the world. Toni poured her heart and soul into everything she did. She later became one of America’s most celebrated novelists, winning both the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. Her novel Beloved was adapted into a film starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover, and she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
When I first started Odgis + Co, I was asked to design Julia Child’s classic cookbook, The Way to Cook. Julia taught me a crucial lesson about the user experience. She insisted that the step-by-step instructions and images always appear on the same page as the recipe. Words and images had to work together to create something greater than the sum of their parts, just like a delicious meal. Her book wasn’t simply an instruction manual; it was a collection of stories, each building on the last so the reader could truly understand the underlying principles of cooking.
I carry the lessons of these remarkable women with me every day. Fearless ideas, clear storytelling, and generous mentorship have shaped my path, and continue to shape our work.
