Meet Madeline Bechtel | MCCB Design – Art, Illustration, and Graphic Design

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madeline Bechtel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madeline, what role has risk played in your life or career?
The words “risk” tends to come with a negative connotation and in the art and design industry, you have to take a lot of “risks” – that’s why I prefer the term “chances”. It feels a bit more hopeful. That being said, risk and taking chances is a frequent and important part of my success, despite some abundant rejection and loss. As an artist, I’ve tried to grasp firmly onto the “philosophy of yes” – an idea not termed by me, but very familiar to my way of working. In this philosophy, you rely on the simple truth that not asking for something (ex: a spot in a gallery, a highly-valued job or a cool partnership), you are automatically agreeing to the outcome of “no”. By applying the philosophy of yes and recognizing that asking is the first step to receiving that oh-so-desired “yes”, you are far more likely to get the opportunities you really want, even if they are scary or challenging.

I do this a lot, and ask for opportunities that are likely above me at the time of pursuit. But by setting those goals and receiving that exciting “yes”, I get the chance to rise to the occasion and grow into those spaces with grace and practice – similar to “fake it till you make it” but with a bit more strategy. So for me and my career, both in my team-based work for The City of Fort Collins and in my personal business MCCB Design, risk has been important to my growth, and growth has been pivotal to my success.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Life is really fun for me – I do a lot of varying types of creative work on a daily basis. For now, I am going to focus mainly on my personal art and save the story of my professional graphic design career for a different time. To list some favorite types of projects: illustration, painting, graphic design, mural design, brand design, community art engagement, interior/architectural design, design teaching and gallery coordination. That list grows, changes, and expands regularly – and I love that. Knowing that I can try anything and create beauty from scratch is incredibly fulfilling and a large part of why I am so driven to keep pushing my ideas as far as they can go. With the vigor of my full-time work with the City of Fort Collins as their Senior Graphic Designer, I have had to be strategic in 2023 – 2024 with where and how I can engage with my community. For the time being, you can always find me at various favorite local spots for First Friday events (details available on my website or social media, www.mccb.design or @mccb.design). You can also find my gallery of work in local businesses – allowing me to make a tightly woven network of amazing people doing amazing things.

My personal art aims to awaken the viewers’ senses through evocative color, texture, and form. Although heavy on illustration and digital artwork, I am reaching into the arena of selling my original paintings and am excited to continue to branch out that part of my process. Which, speaking of process, is ever-changing and relies upon strong instincts to experiment with my creativity. Often, a series or piece will begin with a “color-play” exercise using traditional mediums (acrylic, watercolor, pastel) to establish a basis for the tone I’d like to set visually. From there, my work will typically be rendered digitally: illustrated over, used to add color and depth, or blown apart into starting forms. The world is complex and within simplicity I find necessary space for stunning calm and quiet. I rely heavily on my unique perspective and am constantly inspired by color psychology, nature and science. Ultimately, this combination makes me lucky enough to see the world in a magical way despite all of the pain and hurt that lives so prominently in our daily news. I wish to share some of those details that spark joy and child-like curiosity within me to try and bring back much-needed moments of peace.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It’s pretty easy to entertain in Fort Collins – there’s something for everyone and I always seem to find little surprises of some kind when I’m out and about. For the perfect Fort Collins day, I’d start off at The Fox Den – No Waste Cafe (@nowastecafe_foxden) on Laporte Ave. The owner is a gem, and her transformation of the space is incredibly charming, earth-conscious, and creatively charged. Their baked goods are stellar, and the coffee is house-roasted – yum! (P.S. have a seat on their outdoor patio and enjoy the mural by yours truly – MCCB Design, 2022!)

After that, I’d highly recommend getting outdoors – our favorites are Horsetooth Reservoir, Spring Canyon Park, and Spring Creek Trail. With pretty much everything strategically connected via bike/pedestrian path in town, it’s easy to have a peaceful time getting from point A to point B in your day. After getting some fresh air, heading downtown is alway a good move. For a really special shopping experience, head to Create Good Co. (@creategood.co). Their clothing goods are hand-altered in the shop (you can meet the seamstress and see what they’re working on a lot of times) and their pieces are one-of-a-kind. My favorite pieces from this shop are an array of fancy shirt collars altered to fit my dog (one for every occasion) and a hand-dyed vintage flannel. Little on Mountain and The Regional are two of my favorite haunts for drink and food – especially when I’m in the mood for new flavor combinations and exciting specials. Also, be on the lookout for events held by The Art Mart (add @theartmartfoco) – having created the brand when it was a young group run by my dear friend Mag, it is now a creative home to a growing 150+ artists, 20+ musicians, and 20+ authors. This group, wherever you find them, will welcome you with open arms and introduce you to the quirky local artist you didn’t know you needed to find.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In this phase of my career, I am feeling particularly grateful for the support of fellow creative entrepreneurs – and how much letting them teach me, guide me and support me has elevated my otherwise self-led career. In my daily work, I work on a team of talented artists that outside of being amazing professional graphic designers, all work on their own outside projects driven by passion and personality. Their individuality in their work always opens my eyes to new directions and ways of perceiving the problem – and therefore the solution. My advice here would be to hold on tightly to people who you admire in their craft and try to create space for openly sharing work and feedback. It WILL make you better at what you do.

Another group that deserves a thank you are the patient, trusting, and creative individuals that hire me to help them design their brands and guide their visual strategy. These people come from many different areas of the creative world – all sharing art in their own unique ways. First, Nina DeVitry (@nina.dv) – she is a Nashville based musician and old friend who is currently releasing singles for her first album “What You Feel is Real”. She’s given me the amazing chance to create artwork to go alongside her gorgeous music. With the full album coming out later this Summer, her singles have been gaining well-deserved buzz and I’m honored to have had a hand in this project. Take the time to have a listen – it often gets my heart, mind, and body moving more freely.

Although these projects are not yet released, other creatives I’d love to mention are Pixie & Quail Thrifted Goods (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, @pixie_and_quail) and Em Daugherty, Film Photographer (Fort Collins, CO, @queershootsfilm) who are both actively building unique brands using their talents and are trusting me to create their visual identity. It’s a very personal process and I’m excited to see them both find success in their endeavors. For any entrepreneurs looking to put some heart into their brand, think about reaching out to discuss going through the process of working with me through MCCB Design.

Website: www.mccb.design

Instagram: @mccb.design

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-bechtel/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mccb_design

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madeline.claire.9022

Image Credits
Outlandish Creative (@outlandish.creative)