Designer at work: Karen Souza

Over 40 years ago, Karen Souza started creating a market for her brand of vehicle lettering in and around the small town of Mattapoisett about an hour south of Boston. She has specialized in vehicle lettering and pinstriping for almost all of her career. She’s known for her traditional designs and the intricate scrolls, flowing banners, blended shades and detailed pictorials she often includes in her work.

Her work was first featured in the May/June 1991 issue of SignCraft, and many times since. We asked Karen to tell us about her shop and her approach to design and production:

The shop: I built the shop in 1988, specifically to handle my truck lettering work. The shop is 36-by-54-ft., with one 14-by-14-ft. overhead door. Most of my open area is bay space. There’s an office in one corner where I have the computers, with a second office area above that, which is where I have my printer.