Little did artist Vanessa Kreckel know, way back in 2000, that she was starting an empire.

While working at University of Pennsylvania, she was frustrated by the limitations of invitation designs, with mass-market stationery focused on facts like date and place instead of representing who the clients truly were. Inspired by the possibilities of graphic design, she wanted to take things one step farther, creating unique invitation suites that told a story about the couple through design, color palette and diverse materials. So she set up shop at her kitchen table and put her unique sensibility to work. The result was Two Paperdolls, a pioneering custom design house that foreshadowed the desire for customization across all aspects of the wedding industry.

The company quickly garnered acclaim in national bridal magazines such as BRIDES and Martha Stewart Weddings as well as design publications including PRINT and Communications Arts. Always looking for creative opportunities, and inspired by possibilities inherent in corporate branding, Vanessa expanded what was now called TPD Design House by bringing her unique form of storytelling and personal branding to corporate clients and luxury niche businesses including Stephen Starr, Neenah Paper, Engage! Luxury Wedding Business Summits and Comcast. TPD services clients in branding, web and custom stationery around the globe.

Today, TPD Design House is based in a state-of-the-art 9,000 square foot design house in Wayne, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, where 22 employees including graphic designers and web developers, project managers and production ninjas bring Vanessa’s creativity to life. The result: a full-service design house with its roots in custom graphic design, and an ability to translate that into any medium, be it physical or virtual. At the heart of TPD Design House lies Vanessa’s infatuation with vintage designs and captivating patterns, and her fearless approach to delving into unfamiliar territory, while taking risks all day long.

When she’s not running TPD Design House, Vanessa can be found traveling, gardening and experimenting with her newest passion, interior design, in the home she shares with wife Lauren and sons Cash and Landon and their daughter Portland. Her life came full-circle when her Spring 2014 destination wedding to Lauren was featured in Martha Stewart Weddings — featuring custom paper and wood invitations from TPD Design House, of course.