THE FRAU

What is a redfrau?

Red is a primary color. Frau rhymes with wow and is German for “woman.”

A dozen years ago, my then-boyfriend (and now-husband) gave me the nickname “red fraulein” because I had bright red hair at the time and had germanic tendencies. After we got married, the fraulein of course became a frau, and a new nickname was born. It stuck.

I’m Sandra Gardner, the red frau, and I design graphic, web, and multimedia in a variety of commercial and intellectual industries—including publishing, education, real estate, retail, entertainment, and the fine arts. My obsessions run me ragged until I’ve learned everything I need to learn from them, and right now I’m obsessed with WordPress.

I’m a graphic designer and also an artist. I studied printmaking under Michi Itami, the Japanese-American printmaker. I have a tabletop letterpress in my office, collecting dust while it reminds me to keep one foot in the tangible. I’m also a musician. I play bass, sing, and occasionally play keyboards in Poem Rocket. I’m also a mom, arguably the best job I have. And almost every room in my house has red in it.