Imagine a super-fun childhood, amazing education in art, followed by an incredible career in design.
What's a gal to do next?

Welcome to baby idesign.

When I was young, I won "most enthusiastic" in kindergarten and was told I had a "huge imagination." Those words sounded scary, thought I was in trouble. Thank goodness for big words. As a kid I loved to doodle, decorate, and make everything look pretty. I had great handwriting for a "lefty." My mom made me write thank-you letters to everyone for everything. Am now very grateful for that. Why are moms always right?

Grew up and went off to college to learn about art. Couldn't get enough. I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Studied graphic design and photography. By chance, I got a job at New York Magazine. At 23 I became their Promotion Designer. At 25 I became their Promotion Art Director. By 27 I was managing an awesome team of creatives.

In 2002 I retired from the best and only job I knew. Not an easy decision. I started my own design firm, idesign, llc. Found some cool clients, did some cool print projects. Fashion, food, tv, and more. I learned to design outside of magazines. Had this stationery idea in the back of my mind.

Then, one of my girlfriends became pregnant with her first baby. She searched for the perfect baby announcement. She couldn't find it anywhere. So she asked if I would design her something special, fresh and unique.

Uh-oh, what did I know about teddy bears and little lambs? Suddenly, cute seemed scary. It was the first birth announcement I had ever done. A year later another girl friend asked me to do the same. Then another and another. Hmm, chic and stylish wasn't just for grown-ups anymore.

Took the plunge and started a stationery division in 2004. All for babies. Named it baby idesign. Teddy bears and little lambs, trés chic. Kept it modern yet traditional, always unique. Debuted my new collection in New York that May. Very well received. Think I was onto something...

These days I dream up new designs for new babies. Birth announcements, thank you notes, holiday cards, invitations and more. I love the endless possibilities in a huge, growing marketplace. My stationery products make people happy. That makes me happy. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm a manufacturer. And I really can't believe my products are in almost 350 stores nationwide. And we're just starting. My family is amazing; super-close, very supportive, always bragging. My friends are the best personal PR team out there. I talk to my sister everyday and we giggle a lot. She's now the company's director of sales. Funny words and phrases keep us all going. This business is challenging but I remember to laugh at myself daily. I am lucky, I love what I do. Hopefully that shines through in all our products. After all, its fun to let people know who's arrived!

Ilene Segal
Founder and Creative Director
baby idesign
idesign, llc