Zurek Design projects have received awards from the following organizations:

Greater Miami Advertising Federation (six “Addy” awards)
Women in Communications (ACE award for Communications Excellence)
Printing Industry of South Florida (GraphBest award)
The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (First Place Newsletter)

Two logos designed by Zurek Design are featured in the book
Logos: Making a Strong Mark, Rockport Publishing, 2004.

Pamela C. Zurek sometimes gets introspective, even reserved, about her career.

Yet her business requires her to be explicit, bold and aggressive.

The Palmer Township woman is a graphic designer. She has breathed creativity into existing publications, or has conjured up new ideas that positively portray businesses and organizations throughout the Lehigh Valley.

Even though she is a self-employed designer, Zurek is also not afraid to tell prospective clients when they are wrong.

When Mike Principato launched the business magazine Lehigh Valley Biz in 2002, he decided to provide an online version in Spanish employing a software program instead of a translator.

Zurek, who lived six years in Colombia, South America, and is fluent in Spanish, told Principato the translation "was so bad, it was offensive," he recalls.

"She has the courage of her convictions that when she gives you the final product, it's going to sing," adds Principato, who is development director at the Diocese of Allentown.

That's a glimpse of Zurek, who can be assertive; she approached Principato about possible work when he became the diocese's development director.

After a career built mostly on quietly blending in her talents on the visual side, Zurek has reaped recognition this year.

In March, the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors picked Palmer's newsletter, "Today's Palmer," first for its annual Citizen Communication Contest. Zurek, who owns Zurek Design, has handled the newsletter's layout since 1999.

Last week, the Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal ranked Zurek among its top 20 business people under age 40. The weekly publication ranked business people from all or parts of seven counties, including Northampton and Lehigh.

Zurek, who is 39 and turns 40 next month, downplays the state award for the newsletter, noting the publication would not thrive without its volunteer editor, Jo-Ann M. Stoneback, or the financial backing of township supervisors. Indeed, the award covered content as much as how that information gets presented.

But people note Zurek plays a prominent role in its production.

"Obviously, visual graphic design is a big part of that," says Jennifer Hawbaker, who represents the association

Palmer's product placed tops among 21 entries in the townships with population over 10,000 category. Township Manager Bob Anckaitis says it was the first time Palmer won the award.

He didn't know off-hand what the product costs Palmer, "but whatever it is it's worth it," adding that Zurek has done "quality work."

As skilled in her work, she's equally adept in dealing with life's lessons. She has lived in several places in the United States -- including Hunterdon County -- and overseas. She decided to settle in Palmer Township about seven years ago.

Born in Plainfield, N.J., the middle of five children, Zurek moved often as a youngster because her father, Bill Cromey, who worked in the petroleum business, used to get transferred.

Zurek lived in Connecticut and Raritan Township, attending Barley Sheaf and Reading-Fleming schools in the Hunterdon Central Regional district. She was grammar school friends with Hunterdon County-based developer Jim Petrucci.

"She's extraordinarily talented, very responsive and very professional," says Petrucci. He has recommended Zurek for several graphic-design jobs.

She designed the "Allentown Proud" logo for Allentown's shopping district marketing campaign. She has worked with Principato in creating the Allentown diocese's Catholic schools logo -- coming up, with an assist from her children, in creating a logo depicting two pencils in the shape of a cross. Among her other work, Zurek has created locator maps around the campuses of Lafayette and Northampton Community colleges.

Before Zurek entered high school, the family moved again -- to San Antonio. By the time Zurek reached her senior year, she yearned to see even more of the world.

After graduating from high school in 1982, Zurek enrolled in AFS Intercultural Programs Inc., a worldwide student-exchange organization. Her destination: one year in Colombia.

"I did it because I didn't want to lead a boring life," Zurek says. "I really thought I wanted to see more of the world than I had seen at that point."

After that stay, Zurek returned to the United States and earned a bachelor's degree in visual communications in 1987 from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.

She left Baltimore and settled in Miami, principally to continue using her Spanish. After working for a graphics company, she started her business in Florida, eventually moving it to Colombia, where she stayed another five years.

In 1997, Zurek returned again to the states and settled in Palmer Township to be near her stepfather and mother, Dick and Ilene Baumann. Zurek says she has always enjoyed being artistically innovative, "and I like to read; I really like to read. So the idea of creating things that people will read, and helping clients to communicate their message through what I'm able to put together for them really appeals to me."

The challenging part of being self-employed, according to Zurek is performing tasks out of her "comfort zone," including sales, collections, computer operation and various administrative duties.

You won't see Zurek's name or some creative company logo affixed to most of her work. The Palmer newsletter is an exception, where her name appears in the credits.

The lack of recognition is by design, she says.

"When I do the job right, people should see the pieces I produce, and they shouldn't say, 'Wow, what a great design,'" Zurek says. "They should say, 'Wow, what a great organization this is.'"

On the personal side, Zurek has had to balance her career with being a single mother of two children. It's a matter of being adaptable, which is a trait learned during her childhood of multiple moves that also flourished while living overseas.

"To me, the interesting part about all that is it really helps with what I do for a living, because I'm able to draw from all of those experiences," she says.

Copyright 2004 The Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal.

Copyright 2004 The Easton Chronicle.

Karyn Greenstreet, of Passion for Business, interviewed Pamela Wilson of Zurek Design as part of her
"Self-Employed Success Series" of audio recordings. Hear the interview by following the link below:

Self-Employed Success Series interview with Pamela (Zurek) Wilson