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For many Peninsula locals, there are certain sights that spark a fond sense of recognition – the bold, rounded architecture of the Flintstone House in Hillsborough as seen from Interstate 280, for example.
And while Menlo Park artist Courtney Beyer enjoys illustrating all kinds of things, she gets a special kick out of creating playful products that reference local icons. Her Flintstone House design is one that can be found on cards and stickers, sometimes with the words “Bay Area classic,” and sometimes with the simple statement, “IYKYK” (if you know, you know).
“People just kind of crack up on that one,” Beyer said about putting the quirky house in the spotlight. “It’s one of those things that’s kind of like an inside joke for the Bay Area.”
Other locally themed designs for those in the know feature familiar sights such as the Stanford Dish (with two different message options: “Wanna walk the Dish?” and “I only want to walk the Dish with you”) and the Stanford Theatre (with its marquee reading “Meet me in Palo Alto”). There are also cards and stickers featuring California flora and fauna, the Golden Gate Bridge and everyone’s favorite anthropomorphized weather feature Karl the Fog, to name just a few.
Beyer has some additional ideas for local merch up her sleeve, too.
Menlo Park artist Courtney Beyer’s illustration of the Stanford Dish on a greeting card features the message “I only want to walk the Dish with you.” Courtesy Courtney Beyer. 
Menlo Park artist Courtney Beyer’s illustration of the Flinstone House features the expression “IYKYK,” which stands for “If you know, you know.” Courtesy Courtney Beyer. 
Menlo Park artist Courtney Beyer’s illustration of the Stanford Theatre on a greeting card features “Meet me in Palo Alto” on the marquee. Courtesy Courtney Beyer.
“I have a few more for Los Altos I want to do, a few more for Palo Alto, a few more for Stanford,” she said, noting that she’d love to make a card featuring Memorial Church, as she got married there.
“Anything that’s local it’s going to sell well,” she added. “We love the beach. I have a bunch of ideas for Half Moon Bay.”
Beyer’s work can be found online and at retail stores, including Letter Perfect in Palo Alto and Linden Tree Books in Los Altos. She’s also partnered with Filoli on several occasions, designing the historic estate’s “Send newts” postcard, floral designs and a holiday card. She’s also designed a holiday card for Linden Tree, and she’s especially tickled to have her work sold there, as she was raised in Los Altos.
“I spent hours and hours in Linden Tree growing up,” she said.
As a child, Beyer took art lessons from a “cute little old lady in Los Altos who had the smallest little art shed,” she recalled. A graduate of Los Altos High School, she majored in anthropology at the University of Michigan but, “I weaseled my way into the art school and took a few classes,” she said.
Back in the Bay Area after college and unsure of what career path to take, she worked in biotech for a while and did UX design for websites and apps. She joined a group for women in tech who wanted to incorporate more creativity into their lives, and ended up trying freelance pattern design.
Those patterns are available for licensing and can end up on clothing, water bottles, linens, home decor, journals and more. Major brands Beyer has worked with include Mattel, Hallmark and CamelBak.
Meanwhile, her life was evolving. She had her first child, the world was struck by the COVID-19 pandemic, then she had another baby. As she was “always doodling and drawing,” as she put it, after the birth of her second son, she decided to make art her primary career focus from then on, along with raising her growing family.
“You should just try and do art for a while and see what happens,” she recalled her husband encouraging her. Happily, “It worked out really well,” she said, as she began creating greeting cards and stickers and learning how to sell her products wholesale.
Now, in addition to continuing her custom illustration work and pattern library, “I’m in about 60 stores all over the U.S., a lot in the Bay Area, and I’m hoping to be in a lot more,” Beyer said.
Perhaps not surprisingly for someone who takes much inspiration from the natural world, Beyer has a particular interest in environmental protection. Her stationary and paper goods are made from 100% post-consumer waste, and she aims to use her artistic skills to bring awareness to environmental issues.
“‘I’m not a scientist. I’m not an engineer. How can I use my art for good? How can I help people explain things or get people interested?'” she recalled asking herself. In the Bay Area, she said, “Everyone’s very concerned about the environment, but it’s also kind of very hopeful here. We have composting, we have recycling, there are very strict laws.”
She’s done graphics for local agencies and organizations and would love to do more in the future. Her website, for example, features an illustration about healthy soil.
“How can we make composting interesting to people? Beautiful art is a great way to do that. If it’s not me, I hope it’s someone else,” Beyer said.
She hopes to do more editorial projects in general and, with her children now in elementary school, has also volunteered to create and print holiday cards for their school’s staff. Looking ahead, she’s excited to see what projects – maybe even ones featuring more local icons – may be ahead.
“I have too many ideas,” she said with a laugh. “I kind of go where things interest me and just see what happens.”
More information is available at courtneybeyerdesign.com. Instagram: @courtneybeyerdesign.
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