Well, hello again!
It’s great to meet you.
I've always believed that the best design doesn't demand attention—it earns it.
For more than 25 years, I've worked as a creative director and art director, helping shape brands, publications, and campaigns for companies ranging from startups to global organizations. Along the way, I discovered that the work I found most meaningful wasn't advertising. It was storytelling.
Today, I focus on editorial design and photography—creating magazines, journals, cookbooks, brand publications, and visual stories that invite people to slow down, explore, and connect.
My work is grounded in curiosity and shaped by experience. I've photographed life on working ranches in the American West, documented hospitality experiences, designed guided journals, and partnered with brands to transform ideas into beautifully crafted printed pieces. Every project begins the same way: by listening for the story that wants to be told.
What sets my work apart is the combination of disciplines. I bring together strategy, art direction, editorial design, typography, and photography into a single creative process, allowing stories to feel cohesive from concept to final page.
Whether I'm designing a cookbook, art directing a magazine, photographing a destination, or building a custom publication for a brand, my goal is always the same: to create work that feels timeless, intentional, and worth holding onto.
If you're looking for a creative partner who values thoughtful design as much as meaningful storytelling, I'd love to connect.
Hi! I’m Tonya Merke (mur-key)
Editorial designer, art director and photographer based in greater Detroit. I travel wherever stories unfold, with a soft spot for wide-open spaces where the wind blows and horses run free.