Noel Dolan
freelance graphic designer
Noel Dolan is an award-winning graphic designer and calligrapher who calls Colorado Springs home. She started her graphic design journey in elementary school with a bootleg copy of the original Photoshop. Once she became a grown up, Noel attended Colorado State University and The Art Institute of Colorado. Her 19-year professional career is rooted in in-house design for non-profit organizations.
Noel began her profession as an intern at the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and later became the Art Director. In 2017, Noel joined the marketing team at Pikes Peak Community College as the Art & Graphic Design Coordinator. In addition to her full-time job, Noel also runs Noel Dolan Creative, teaches multimedia graphic design at Pikes Peak Community College, teaches calligraphy at Ladyfingers Letterpress, and served on the board of AIGA Colorado Springs for 5 years, including 2 years as the Field Director.
Throughout her career, Noel has earned 35 professional awards on the local, regional, and national level from the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR). In 2019, she was named the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Colorado Springs Designer of the Year.
In 2021, Noel received the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Silver Medal, which is the highest honor from AAF. The Silver Medal honors professionals in design and advertising who've produced excellent work and have made significant contributions in their community to the field of advertising and design.
Noel believes in giving back to the creative community's next generation. While at Pikes Peak Community College, she has mentored numerous design students and marketing interns, hosted free InDesign workshops for graphic design students, and teaches two classes: Typography I and Typography II. Additionally, she reviews student portfolios yearly as a part of the AIGA COS annual portfolio review. Her passion for education and mentorship blossomed after getting the opportunity to work at the college.
When Noel isn't designing, she's lettering, cooking, reading, watching reruns of Friends and The Office, snuggling her cats, and traveling the world (30 countries, 4 continents and counting). She considers her global adventures to be the biggest inspiration for her work.