Christine “Chris” Hennigan

Principal + Creative Director | Chief Inspiration Officer

Christine “Chris” Hennigan is the founder and creative force behind 1-Stop Design Shop. For more than 34 years, she has helped businesses turn ideas into strategic, well-crafted design and marketing solutions—combining creative vision with technical execution. What began as a one-person studio—quickly growing to a staff of eleven and operating out of her home for the first 23 years—has evolved into a full-service creative firm operating from a 4,600-square-foot facility in Bedford, Massachusetts.

As Principal and Creative Director, Chris remains deeply involved in the work and the relationships that define the studio. She collaborates closely with clients from the earliest planning stages through final execution, guiding strategy, creative direction, and project development. She also leads new business for the company, ensuring each project is thoughtfully matched with the right team and expertise.

Chris brings a rare combination of creativity and technical ability to her work. With deep roots in graphic design and years of experience in digital development, she can both design a website and build it—moving seamlessly between visual design, user experience, and the technical structure behind it. That balance of creative thinking and technical execution allows her to guide projects from concept to completion with a clear understanding of how every piece fits together. She’s a big picture thinker.

Chris earned her BFA in Graphic Design with a minor in Photography from Montserrat College of Art and her MFA in Graphic Design from Boston University. Her career reflects a lifelong blend of creativity, technical curiosity, and entrepreneurial spirit. She comes from a family of entrepreneurs—her father owned and operated a structural engineering firm for 44 years, and her brother runs a successful medical device development and contract manufacturing company that has been growing for more than 15 years.

Outside the studio, Chris leads an equally active life. She recently retired from the Massachusetts Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Team, where she served as the Lead Planning Team Manager and Technical Information Specialist. The FEMA-affiliated team responds to major disasters across the country, and Chris played a key role managing critical information and planning during high-pressure deployments.

When she’s not working, Chris enjoys spending time with her partner Dennis, their four shared adult children (ranging from 25 to 40), along with their two rescue dogs. Ellie, an eight-year-old black lab mix, and Luna—short for Lunatic—a five-year-old Catahoula Leopard Dog mix—which keeps things lively at home. The family also spends time at their house on Cape Cod, often traveling back and forth on summer days and weekends to enjoy the coast.

Chris loves to travel, both to distant lands and local hideaways. Some of her favorite trips have included hiking in Turkey, Argentina, the Canadian Rockies, and the Colorado Rockies.