How an Email Newsletter Transformed a Designer’s Career

A few years ago, designer and illustrator Maria Fabrizio felt stuck despite her artistic background. After earning a BFA from the University of South Carolina and an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, she launched her own studio but struggled to find direction. Then, when the pope resigned — an event that hadn’t happened in centuries — everything changed.

Maria drew a simple vector image of the pope’s hat hanging on a hat rack and posted it on her blog. The image quietly conveyed the news, and a few people noticed and encouraged her to continue. This marked the beginning of Wordless News.

She soon started a blog to post daily drawings inspired by current events and created a Mailchimp account to send these directly to her subscribers. At first, she had only a handful of followers, but when NPR featured Wordless News on Morning Edition in early 2014, her audience grew rapidly.

Maria credits the project for significantly advancing her career. While she previously focused mostly on design work, she now splits her time between design and illustration and even contributes editorial work for NPR.

“It’s been a crazy, stressful couple of years, but I’m so happy and thankful for the vision I’ve found in the project,” she says.

The Philosophy Behind Wordless News Emails

Maria chooses not to include advertising in her emails because she believes that “the white space around the images allows room for thought.” Although she makes some money from prints sold on her website, monetization has never been the main goal. Instead, the emails open doors to paid opportunities and creative growth.

She explains, “Many have suggested I monetize Wordless News, but I won’t sacrifice the clarity of the site for income. It’s my passion project and creative habit. It teaches me about my visual process, pushes my conceptual thinking, and allows me to experiment, fail, and learn.”

Email as a Tool for Connection and Growth

Using Mailchimp has changed Maria’s career by exposing her work to new audiences and clients. More importantly, it has given her a way to connect with fans, receive feedback, and inspire thoughtful engagement with the world.

“Email is a way to start a conversation,” Maria says. “I don’t have a formula for how others should use email, but opening a channel for dialogue, criticism, encouragement, and connection builds a more engaged community.”