Creative. Collaborator. Connector. Carroll mom and business owner Ame Beanland, of Ame B Design, wears a lot of hats. But her bustling energy and warm personality keep her grounded in her work — producing print products and promotional goods for everyone from Dragon fans to local businesses.
While she’s always had an eye for design, Ame never dreamed she would move to a small town in Texas and join Dragon nation.
STARTING THE BRAND
After earning a degree in technical and professional writing, Ame started working for a small press in Berkeley, California, as a managing editor. After working her way up to the press’ creative director, Ame designed book jackets and co-wrote nonfiction works, like her 2004 “New York Times” bestseller “Nesting: It’s A Chick Thing.”
While she enjoyed the process behind publishing, Ame realized she had a heart for graphic design and turned her focus toward her own booming business — or, as she puts it, started playing in her own sandbox.
“Design is my first love, and graphic design is the marriage of visual and editorial arts,” Ame explains. “To me, graphic design is coming up with a good message and finding vehicles that carry it.”
A few freelancing opportunities turned into a budding brand, Ame B Design, that collaborated with an array of corporate clients on logo designs, marketing products and direct mail items. Ame says she enjoyed the freedom, and she was open to take in inspiration wherever it struck.
BLEEDING GREEN
After moving to Southlake in 2005, Ame soon enrolled her daughter Grace in kindergarten. The Beanland family was just settling into town and learning about the local culture when Ame started designing personalized products for CISD’s teacher appreciation week.
After gifting her first teacher present, Carroll parents started approaching Ame, asking if she took orders. Slowly but surely, Ame started creating more personalized gifts with Southlake flair. And as Grace and her brother, Luke, moved through Carroll schools, Ame B Design grew with them, taking on more orders and expanding its offerings. Thankfully, Ame had a built-in focus group of Dragons thanks to her kids and their friends who became her sounding board.
“I’m a mother of Dragons,” Ame says. “Why would I not want to invest, promote and serve my family and my community?”
While Ame now has a multitude of Dragon designs, she’s the first to admit she didn’t initially understand what it meant to be a part of the Carroll community. But after learning more about the school system and seeing the impact the mascot had on its citizens, she saw the power of the Dragon. And because all her Dragon-affiliated products financially support CISD, she grew passionate about contributing to the overall success of the district.
“I serve all kinds of clients and businesses and industries, but when we moved to Southlake, I started seeing this Dragon logo everywhere,” Ame says. “I finally realized how smart the district was to create this sense of community and symbol that not only enriches the community with shared existence but also literally gives back and supports us financially. I went from saying, ‘What is this crazy thing I see everywhere,’ to, ‘I am all in.’”
Ame began to see how one branding choice could make all the difference in harnessing community spirit.
“It’s the same process that drives loyalty and fandom in a small college town. You rally behind each other,” Ame says. “It’s just such a pervasive brand because you can be a part of the team in so many different ways.”
CISD staff saw how Ame’s products resonated with the community, so they awarded her bid request to become a licensed vendor and started working together to create memorable items.
“Ame is always dependable and accommodating,” CISD assistant director of marketing Jill Webb says. “We appreciate that she is able to work with our quick deadlines. I think most value her varied Dragon designs and willingness to work with local groups to produce unique items for them.”
Now Ame B Design boasts a Dragon item for everyone, with products in ranging colors for kids, parents, sports fans and everyone in between. Her ability to create diverse products ensures there’s something unique for everyone. And Ame still does custom orders. Individual principals often lean on Ame when coming up with teacher gifts that staff members will cherish.
“She does a good job knowing what people want,” Old Union Elementary School principal Jon Fike says. “She does a great job listening and running with a concept and putting her own spin on it.”
Now she feels connected to something bigger than herself, which inspires her to take on more.
“When I go to a football game, and I see these little kids running around in a T-shirt I made, it makes me feel so connected and makes me feel encouraged,” Ame says.
Even during COVID-19, Ame did not slow down. She contacted the school board as people began to shelter in place and asked how she could help. The result: “Dragon Strong” signs families could don in their lawns to showcase their pride, with each including a $15 donation to CISD’s Resilience Fund. She sold 586 signs, gifting almost $9,000 to the fund, which Ame distributed around town thanks to several Carroll class of 2021 volunteers.
“I am a doer,” Ame says. “I think it was really powerful. It boosted our spirits and reminded us that we were all a part of something bigger than ourselves.”
Still, Ame did not stop. When CISD decided to plan an in-person graduation, the district reached out to Ame to create masks sporting the same logo. Now, it’s hard to think of that historic moment without Ame B Design.
And when students, teachers and staff returned to Carroll campuses, she was ready to provide Dragons with products that could help them be together safely. Carroll Elementary School Principal Stacy Wagnon worked with Ame so that her staff could each have an Ame B Design facial covering.
“She takes the time to make everything Dragon special,” Stacy says. “I just love her kind heart and how she goes above and beyond.”
BUILDING UP THE COMMUNITY
Ame says she’s just shy of having the Dragon logo tattooed onto her body, but that’s not where her community collaboration ends.
“I am never not busy,” Ame says. “I work myself into a frenzy, but it’s usually a good frenzy.”
While she was initially producing her own product line with Hallmark, which broke a sales record at a popup event at Southlake’s HMK Store in 2015, Ame realized she gets more out of partnering with local brands and large corporations to help them solve their marketing problems.
Many of Ame’s partnerships start with sit downs where clients can tell her what they are hoping to accomplish, like boosting morale or sharing a specific message with customers. Ame then delivers a solution.
“A million other people are more talented, more skilled, have more experience and can do everything I do,” Ame says. “The only thing I have of value is my point of view. I just keep honing and working on that.”
Both in small ways like personalized leather products or larger endeavors like a graphic mural, Ame stands ready to take projects that can surprise and delight her clients — which sometimes means redirecting their plans.
“You may think you want a plastic keyring, but we’re going to find some way of making products more useful rather than just making something so it exists,” Ame says. “I really don’t want to spend your money or my time making future landfill [items].”
Because her clients have different needs, Ame has had to learn how to create an array of products. But thanks to her longtime vendors, she is equipped with the tools to take an idea, learn the undertaking behind its creation and see it come to fruition.
“First and foremost, I consider myself a print specialist,” Ame says. “I can only speak for myself, but I think my greatest strength is my ignorance. I love learning new processes.”
Oftentimes, her ability to take one brand message and manipulate it to work on a variety of print platforms makes her an asset. When Coolgreens opened in 2018, owner Shanna Argote says she immediately thought of Ame when she wanted to create a cohesive look for the restaurant. She used Ame for everything from logo notecards to the wall mural hanging in the back of the dining room.
“She takes ownership in what she is doing to better our business and is always coming up with new ideas to make the guest experience better,” Shanna says. “Whenever I have a thought but don’t know how to make it happen, I get in contact with her. She loves her community and does everything she can to make it a better place, resulting in great customer service on her part. She is always looking at ways to build others up.”
Ame’s final result and the community’s word of mouth ensured this mural would not be her last. The Bar Method, located next door, saw the impact a visual mural had on a space, so the owners also called up Ame to create a similar look in their studio.
“Ame is known for her big impressions,” The Bar Method owner Nicole Bulcher says. “She made our mantra come to life. And she has a lot of valuable marketing sense because she was already thinking of how we could eventually pull the mural into retail items that we could use to further market ourselves.”
BUILDING A LEGACY
Whether it’s a principal or an entrepreneur, Ame takes the time to listen and understand their goals, which has shaped her reputation around town. Those who aren’t familiar with her books or corporate connections have still heard of Ame thanks to the community spirit her name carries.
Ame is the first to credit others for her success, like CISD for starting its Dragon family and Southlake for its focus on promoting its own.
“Carroll, and Southlake in general, is a really big small town — a really big family,” Ame says. “I am always humbled by the level of support and kindness I receive.”
But it’s her hustle, determination and style that makes Ame a true positive influence in Southlake.
“She’s a great business person, but on top of that, she’s a great person. She’s always positive, always happy,” Jon Fike says.
Whether it’s a family snuggling under one of her blankets at a football game or a bold design at a local business, once you know Ame’s work, you’ll see it everywhere. And when you know Ame’s heart, you’ll want to surround yourselves with others who bestow her beloved characteristics.