Amy Woolsey (Winooski)
Designer, illustrator, and former semiconductor innovator
I’m a designer and illustrator based in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
Before founding Winooski Designs, I spent over 15 years in the semiconductor industry, much of that time leading innovation teams at Motorola, Freescale Semiconductor, and NXP.
I still love designing things they just look different now.
Today my work blends visual storytelling, architecture, nature, and playful design.
Semiconductor & Innovation Work
My career in semiconductors centered on leading innovation teams through complex, systems-level problem solving at Motorola, Freescale Semiconductor, and NXP. Through industry shifts and organizational changes, I stayed with essentially the same remarkable team for most of my career, something I’ll always value.
Our work focused on developing methodologies and software solutions that helped leadership make better decisions, improve productivity, and reduce defects.
But the real key to success was never just the technology, it was understanding the people using it.
Long before I ever heard the term design thinking, my teams were already practicing it. The best solutions came from deeply understanding the needs, frustrations, and goals of the people we were designing for.
For nearly 13 years, I led an internal innovation program called Free Your Mind, where employees were encouraged to explore ideas that might otherwise never have been developed. One CEO affectionately called us the “bureaucracy busters,” a name that still makes me smile.
Long before semiconductors, I was building my own computers piece by piece and working as a systems administrator in Austin, Texas, back when adding hardware meant physically installing memory and video cards and manually configuring drivers.
Even in the semiconductor world, I was drawn to structure, communication, visual thinking, and finding patterns in complexity.
It makes sense that I eventually found my way to illustration and design.
I still love building things. They just happen to be images, stories, and creative systems now instead of technical ones.
Today
These days, my creative work lives primarily through Winooski Designs, where I create illustration, surface pattern design, and artwork inspired by architecture, wildlife, and the quiet magic of nature.
https://www.winooskidesigns.com
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