Darlene Bailey Thompson

DESIGNER

Darlene Bailey Thompson has been working in Advertising Design for the past 30 years after earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and has worked anywhere from small elite design boutiques to the largest Advertising Agency in the Southeast to owning her own design company. Darlene’s compassion first led her to a degree and a job in nursing, but her love of art kept pulling her towards the world of advertising design. Working with diverse clients such as Sony, Gaylord Opryland Hotels & Entertainment, HCA, Vanderbilt Hospital, Books-a-Million, American Heart Association, Lason Technologies and Ruby Tuesday Restaurant Group, offered her the opportunity to work with major brands and garnered Addy Awards which she says sit proudly on a shelf collecting dust. 

As a Creative Director, Darlene found that her real excitement came from brand development, specifically companies who had a unique concept and a strategy to grow the idea, but not the expertise needed to develop a strong brand that would become an integral part of the DNA of the new company. Taking these new companies from the ground up to become well-known franchises like Gigi’s Cupcakes that she helped develop and brand, proved to be exciting and became her primary focus.  

She currently serves as Creative Director for The Jaeckle Centre, the South’s largest premiere equine facility and also continues to work with clients to grow emerging brands she helps to develop such as Society Wine Bar, Hot Chicken Kitchen, Celebrity Barn Dance (non-profit), ePerformax Contact Centers, Music City Cinnamon Whiskey, Unbridled Jewelry (non-profit) and more. 

Darlene resides in Franklin, TN and has a daughter in college at the University of Tennessee.