VAL COOK

Throughout her life, Val has been surrounded by art and creativity – whether it was spending time at museums and hanging out at MassArt while her mom (Effie Noren herself!) was a student or discussing art at family gatherings – creativity and making it happen is in her genes.

So it only made sense that she’d be in a creative field.

Val has a casual, positive and responsive approach that makes her easy to work with. Her desire to meet each client’s unique needs and deep knowledge of print production results in quality, dynamic and on-time design – because creativity is great but only when it’s delivered on-time!

Val’s favorite part of being a designer at Effie Noren is the variety of projects and clients’ wide range of products and services. She welcomes the opportunity to learn about different businesses, how they came to be, what makes them tick, their vision for the future and translates that knowledge into a creative vision for the company and the project.

Among her most enjoyed podcasts is “How I Built This,” with its in-depth interviews of founders of famous brands – what sparked their initial idea, milestones, pitfalls, and how they ultimately achieved success beyond their wildest dreams. Val finds joy in collaborating with small businesses and watching their visions come to fruition!

Who is Effie Noren?

EFFIE CIRCA 1980

When we think entrepreneur we think of our founder Effie Noren - who started Effie Noren Graphics in 1974.

While raising her family, Effie went back to school and earned a BFA in Education from MassArt. When she graduated, teaching positions were few. In the interim, Effie purchased an IBM Composer and offered typesetting and design services to local printers and small companies. Business was so good that she stopped looking for a teaching position and focused full-time on clients and her growing business.

Effie’s ability to adapt and embrace change is one of her most valuable strengths. Effie is proud of her successes and of founding such a well-respected, service-oriented, design firm.

Now retired, Effie enjoys family, travel, gardening and doing good deeds in her community.