Creative vision is a rare gift. Those possessing it have the ability to see with clarity and imagination. There are many such hidden jewels in Newburyport. The contributions that come forth through their perceptions are part of what makes this place a treasure trove of a city. There is one such woman who, with such focus, has supported other individuals and businesses to see prosperity.

Joan Toher, proprietor of Thirdeye Design LLC, is a one-woman enterprise, often single-handedly performing the work of entire advertising and marketing teams. With over 23 years of experience in a field of ever changing market trends she successfully utilizes her skills as a master of ingenuity.

Fifteen years ago, Joan took a leap of faith. While employed as senior art director for an ad agency in Boston, she ventured out alone to launch her own business. Feeling more challenged with the creative aspects of design, she left to follow her own path—a move that many often consider, but few have the guts to attempt.

Though skeptics tried inconvincibly to dissuade her, failure was never an option in her mind. A well crafted initial direct mail campaign of only 30 letters yielded 7 clients, remarkably most of which continue to depend on Joan’s services 15 years later.

“I literally quit my job with less than a month’s living expenses in the bank. It was not easy, but within 6 months I had built a strong client base and from that my business grew based on referrals from those initial clients. It took a lot of tenacity and hard work to keep those referrals coming.”

At the advent of her career 23 years ago; most everything concerning the creation of marketing materials was produced by hand. Before desktop computers, drawing boards and laborious hands-on techniques were the norm. Joan has been a vanguard in the constant metamorphosis of the field of graphic design. She is considered by many to be an expert in the tools of her trade, with extensive experience with all of the graphic software applications used today… since their inception.

At her Mac computer, from her studio at Ferry Wharf, she develops creative concepts into polished marketing materials that command attention and results. In her creative space, she masterfully transforms concepts into corporate identity systems, collateral, direct mail, product catalogs and web sites. On occasion, clients have conveyed their thoughts scribbled on scrap paper or cocktail napkins and Joan somehow took those nebulous concepts and developed them into full-scale marketing campaigns.

Joan specializes most in what she terms “extreme design makeover”—enhancing a business image across the board. “When it comes to business, size does not matter, all of your marketing materials must convey an appropriate, unified message, appeal to the senses and motivate your customers to take action.”

“The written word and images have to work together. The quality of your message is paramount, and that is conveyed by how you present your business. People respond to the tactile aspects of design and the emotion that goes with it. Colors, paper choices and everything that goes into the look and feel of a piece has an immeasurable effect on influencing a consumer to buy your product or service.”

An eclectic variety of industries are represented in Joan’s portfolio including food & beverage, healthcare, high tech, manufacturing, retail, jewelry design, cosmetics, education, and real estate to name a few. Locally, she is instrumental in helping area artists and other Newburyport businesses with their needs.

Being one’s own boss has its advantages and disadvantages. It requires discipline and versatility. She is dedicated to doing whatever it takes, and sometimes this means working into the early hours of the morning to meet deadlines. Whatever the case, she is committed to providing her clients nothing less than the best.

“Sometimes people in my position are quietly and invariably the unsung heroes of the art world. The assumption is that we are not artists because it is such a commercially viable field. But frankly, most graphic designers are adept at a great many things, including traditional art, writing and photography without making claim to those skills. Those skills translate to the commercial world nicely. You have to have good instincts to be in this business… and it doesn’t hurt to be a bit psychic,” she says with a wink and smile.

Like other art forms, graphic design depends a great deal on relying on intuition as a guide. Toher studied Reiki several years ago. It transformed her outlook on life and gave her a new found awareness that she has incorporated into her business.

“If you think about it, creativity really comes from the third eye, that is why I named my business Thirdeye Design – to meld the spirit of creativity with practical business acumen. In business, image is everything and with the right image, you can take your business to new levels. When clients give me creative license, I love to surprise them and go beyond their expectations. What I give my clients is insight as to where they are now and where they want to be, and what tools will help them arrive at that destination.”

That inner guidance is an asset in understanding what people want. And there are the moments of personal satisfaction that are rewarding. Joan enjoys working with clients and every step of the creative process, the most rewarding part— seeing the results of her efforts and how it transforms individuals and businesses in positive ways.

Joan is indeed a visionary, with her “third eye” perspective. When one meets her, the most striking feature about her is emerald-colored eyes. In as much as green is the rarest of eye colors, so, too, one can sense that she is unique. Her persona speaks of a remarkable intelligence and metaphysical way of thinking. Clearly, she views the world through a different lens than most.

She is as diverse as her home and workspace surroundings are eclectic. She is esthetic and likes to be surrounded by beautiful things. Overlooking the riverfront, her environment is nurturing to her creative spirit. Asian, Egyptian and African influences decorate her space. Gracing the walls are many of her own black and white landscape photographs, taken from local vistas. As a photographer, she prefers the simplicity of black and white and the drama that it lends itself to.

Once again, Joan is transforming herself as a designer by renaming her business Thirdeye Design. And just as in her early days as an entrepreneur, she is moving forward with fresh ideas and fortitude. In addition to her current clientele, plans are to expand into the homegoods and hospitality industries.

The most overwhelmingly admirable trait about Joan Toher is her tireless pursuit of the human spirit and how she has utilized her gifts toward the achievement of her potential. Over the years, her belief in her abilities and passion for artistic expression has assimilated into business success—disproving those naysayers in the beginning.

And those green eyes… Behind those gems lie fortitude and fresh perspectives — a multitude of ideas waiting to blossom. Joan has proven that vision and perception does not always come from sight — it comes from the soul and the inner workings of the mind’s eye. Through our own thoughts and beliefs we create our own realities and successes.