A creative creates a town resource

By Erick Slattery | Manor Ink

Livingston Manor looks amazing. Especially in print and in social media. And, in no small part, that’s due to the creative and innovative talent of those who have worked to publicize the many amenities and services the hamlet has to offer.

Stacy Wakefield Forte is one such person. A noted local book and publications designer and author, she is also known for working with the Livingston Manor Chamber of Commerce and is the creative artist behind the Chamber’s eye-catching, passport-style directory that describes and lists all of the different varieties of stores and eateries in the Manor.

She described her work on the booklet as only possible with help of the Chamber, with its merchant members sharing ideas and planning the guide’s contents. That made it easy for her to realize those ideas in an innovative print design.

Manor Ink visited Wakefield Forte in her studio in Livingston Manor and learned that she has worked with the Chamber of Commerce for about nine years. The project started in 2020 when COVID was rampant as a way to give tourists and second home owners who visit the hamlet a resource with information about its various shops and services. The result was the directory, an engaging pamphlet with the names, addresses and contact info for the Manor’s many venues, complete with descriptions of what each of them had to offer. It also contained snippets of town history and listings of volunteer organizations.

Since its first publication, the directory has been a huge hit. Wakefield Forte explained that when the Chamber first printed the booklet, they thought that they would probably have many left over. To everyone’s surprise, the initial run of 2,500 copies was gone in a matter of just a few weeks. Wakefield Forte estimates the Chamber will print at least 5,000 copies of the new directory, which will be made available by April 6.

Stacy Wakefield Forte said that the directory has been a milestone in her career in graphic arts, bringing together her passion for book design and her love for the Livingston Manor community.

“This is an exciting moment,” the designer said. “I finally get to do my thing in my town!”

To see more of Wakefield Forte’s work, visit her website at stacyerinwakefield.com.