Shaffer Creative

scknowledgebombs

Training built for the way you actually work.

Real-world training and proposal strategies for AEC marketers, designers, and everyone in between.

Let's level up your workflow.

Practical. No fluff.

Hands-on, real world examples

Proven across 600+ sessions

Hi, I'm Julie Shaffer, FSMPS, CPSM

I've spent 25 years in professional services marketing, shaping long, high-stakes pursuits where consistency and clarity can make the difference in winning the work. As a marketing strategist, trainer, and Adobe Community Expert who works primarily in InDesign, I have a soft spot for proposals and a low tolerance for inconsistent formatting.

I founded Shaffer Creative in 2012 after 11 years in-house, and now consult, train, and design for firms competing for the work that matters most.

I'm passionate about teaching design principles that hold up across industries and platforms. My methods come from real client work, the kind that has to survive a Tuesday at 4 p.m. when the deadline is 5. They're practical, repeatable, and built for picky collaborators and inherited InDesign files.

Our goal is simple: help teams work smarter.

Real Results from Real Attendees

From first-timers to seasoned pros, here's what happens when practical training meets real motivation.

Time-Saving Tricks

The training was fantastic! learned so many tricks that will save me so much time in my day-to-day proposal production.”

Attendee

SMPS Maryland: Mastering InDesign Like a Pro

Exceeded Expectations

Julie was AMAZING! BEST InDesign session I’ve ever attended. All new information. Her pace was good too. Not too fast or too slow. I learned so much that will help me be more efficient in my role and impress my team. :)

Attendee

SMPS Southwest Regional Conference: Supercharge your InDesign Workflow

Practical Tips

Great, engaging speaker! Julie gave lots of practical tricks that can be used every day in InDesign.

Attendee

CreativePro InDesign Conference: Precision Layout: InDesign's Most Powerful Layout Features

Exactly What I Needed

So, so good. I’ve been leading and writing proposals for 20 years, with a technical writing background, NOT design or layout, so this session was exactly what I needed. It was easy to understand and I took away so much useful information. Thank you, Julie! Please present more things!

Attendee

APMP Bid and Proposal Conference: Design Psychology

Blew Our Minds

Thanks again for the amazing InDesign training. You seriously blew our minds with all the ways we can work smarter and more efficiently in InDesign.

Attendee

Private Client Training, Ohio

I Owe a Big Part of My Career Success to Her

Please have this every year. I'd sign up for this and her courses (including the beginner) tomorrow if I could. I'm sure I don't know it all—she empowered me to get where I am today, and I owe a big part of my success in this industry to her. I adore her!

Attendee

SMPS Southeast Regional Workshop: InDesign Advanced

Need training for your team or organization?

With 600+ sessions delivered to firms and organizations across industries, Julie knows how to meet a team where they are and get them where they need to go. Let's talk about what your group needs.