What’s Shablingo?

The origin of the name Shablingo is somewhat fuzzy. My husband started using it one day in place of Shazam! or Voila! …and it stuck. Being fun to say and not really having a real meaning that we know of, Shablingo was a shoo-in for my design company name, not to mention the domain shablingo.com was short, easy to remember, and available.

WHO AM I?

My name is Tara Jacobs. I studied graphic design in college, just as computers became a standard tool for the industry. I got a taste of pre-press production using old-fashioned hand-cut rubylith techniques and was happy when they faded into the past.

Just out of college in 1995, I couldn’t get a graphic design job because I had no experience. I applied to be a small press operator at a desperate print shop in Crested Butte, Colorado. Apparently, they had no other applicants! It was a great way to get my foot in the door. I learned all aspects of the print shop from operating my single-color Heidelberg press to bindery and packaging.

I began my first graphic design job at a print shop in Gunnison, Colorado, working with exceptionally particular designers and production artists who taught me the proper way to create files for good print results. I eventually moved on to a design department of a large print shop with a fantastic group of people in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2005, I moved back to Gunnison, adding web design to my skill set and eventually starting Shablingo Design in 2009.

2020 brought many life and work changes for people around the world. We were motivated to live closer to family, ultimately resulting in a move to Prescott, Arizona in early 2021. In the past few years, I’ve been inspired to create more personal art which can be found on Instagram. I look forward to exploring my art more in the future while continuing to serve my graphic design customers.