Apart from Martha Stewart herself, no person has been more instrumental in creating and shaping one of the decade's most successful brands than Gael Towey, Creative Director of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. As designer of Martha Stewart Living magazine, Towey used distinctive photography-sharply focused objects in front of blurred backgrounds - not simply for its beauty but as the most effective method of teaching people, step-by-step, such arts as gardening or decorating.

Towey's design influence is not limited strictly to the printed page. She also oversees graphics for Martha Stewart's television show, directs new media ventures, and helps develop Martha Stewart products, including Everyday Colors, the line of house paints (with colors like Lamb's Ear and Potato Peel). The latter represents just one of the ways the company is bringing its vision of enlightened yet affordable design to the American consumer.

Since joining Martha Stewart in 1990 (after working as an art director for books and House & Garden), Towey has created a signature visual look and brand identity that seamlessly unites Martha Stewart herself, the lessons imparted by the magazine, and the product lines released under the Stewart imprimatur. In the process Towey has received numerous awards for her print and television work. Not bad for a magazine that began as a one-off prototype.

"We didn't know it at the time," says Towey, "but we were crafting a visual brand that would expand beyond our wildest dreams to become a very influential and cross media phenomenon."