Linda Middleton

   By Mark Arike, Marketing Associate

  Linda Middleton’s passion for creativity is reflected in the work she does for clients and in the work she does for her own self-fulfillment – oil and watercolour paintings. But no matter which of the two she finds herself doing, you can be sure that she’s giving it her all.
   For the past six years Middleton has been the owner and operator of Crystal Image Studio – a full service graphic design and print company in the Harcourt area. With over 25 years of experience in the industry, she stuck it out through the days before computers and advanced programs were out on the market – and those years, inevitably, have given her quite a good perspective on how things have really advanced.
   “Graphic design was much more limiting than it is nowadays,” says Middleton, while trying to recall when the first “green and black” screen came out with Pagemaker on it. “To place shadows behind text took hours … and it took special effects on the camera after you sat and Letraset each letter down separately.”
   Middleton got her start in the graphic design and print business rather quickly. Immediately after graduating from St. Lawrence College in Kingston with a Visual and Creative Arts diploma (specialization in graphic design), she entered the workforce.
   “I worked for several printing companies in the Belleville and Trenton area,” she said.
   After marrying, Middleton and her husband made their way north, and it was then that she noticed she was in a place that could utilize what she had to offer.
   “I could see that there was a need for graphic design and printing services,” Middleton recalls, adding that many of her city clients continued to obtain her services after the move to Harcourt. “I was making newsletters, brochures, rack cards – all that stuff. The work that I did after Belleville didn’t really change, it just was that now I was doing it all myself.”
   In today’s extremely efficient technological world, it’s easy to send and receive files via high-flying online speeds. That means that the distance that separates her from her clients isn’t even an issue.
   “I have clients in Ottawa, the Brockville area, Belleville, Brighton, Toronto, as well as many in and around Bancroft, throughout all of Haliburton County… one is in New Zealand proofing their stuff right now,” says Middleton.
   In her time spent in the Highlands, Middleton has carried out projects for a number of local organizations and businesses, ranging in size and time involvement.
   For five years she has been the creative brain behind the design of the Arts Council’s Directory – a 48-page guide that lists artists, studios, tours and more in the Highlands. She has also conceptualized past editions of the Events Calendar.
    Of all the jobs that she’s taken on, Middleton finds a lot of joy in logo design.
   “It’s like painting,” she says.
   When she’s not doing her day job (from the comfort of her own home), Middleton loves to paint in watercolours and oils. Landscapes tend to be her specialty, but once in a while she’ll take a trip into the unknown.
   “It’s my relaxation time; I need to do more of it. I like landscapes but sometimes I’ll step outside my comfort zone and try an abstract. I’m dying to paint a rooster … don’t ask me why,” she laughs. “Painting makes me slow down and look at my surroundings while ignoring deadlines of any kind.”
   For a period of time Middleton was quite heavily involved in these mediums, as she was a participant in the Highlands East Studio Tour for five years.
   Over time, Middleton has chosen to be very involved in the local community: she participates in the Plein Air Festival, is a member of the East Central Ontario Art Association, got the Brushstrokes painting group started, is a volunteer puppet player for Point In Time, and is currently on the education committee for the Arts Council.
   She’s also proud to have been a volunteer on the advisory committee for two Community Care New Horizon’s projects: When We Were Young and Generation to Generation.
   “I’ve scaled back a bit in the number of things that I get involved with … out of need I guess,” Middleton says humbly, “but I’m sure I’ll dive back into more.”
   If you’re interested in learning more about Linda’s full line-up of cost-effective, graphic design services email her at info@crystalimagestudio.com or call 705-448-9397.
 
  

   Linda would like to acknowledge Sharon Bray for helping her develop her business into what it is today.
   “She convinced me to start the business, and she is a wonderful and inspiring person.”