MediaEdge Communications Inc. has lost a beloved team member and the anchor of its design department. Annette Carlucci died Jan. 22, 2026, leaving her colleagues saddened, but admiring her strength and appreciating her legacy. Through good health and serious health challenges, Annette was the same person: proficient, hard-working, empathetic and full of fun.

Annette joined MediaEdge in the late 1990s, and grew steadily in her professional role from junior designer to the major influence on the look of our publications and corporate messaging. Along the way, she mentored co-workers, helped clients to forge and promote their brands, and met thousands of pressing deadlines.

“As a designer, she was someone I truly looked up to. With decades in magazines and print production, she carried a level of consistency, discipline and respect for the craft that I deeply admired. She showed me what it means to do the work properly — every detail considered, every deadline honoured, every page treated with care,” affirms Roxy Huynh-Guinane, MediaEdge graphic designer. “But beyond her talent, Annette was also a good friend. She showed up for you. She noticed your efforts, cheered you on and made you feel supported in ways that really mattered.”

Annette contributed a pivotal and labour-intensive piece of MediaEdge’s core business, delivering design products in step with a hectic pace of sequential, and sometimes overlapping due dates. Editors were never surprised, but always impressed to open our email in the morning and find a PDF proof that she had finished and sent at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. or 11:30 p.m. the night before. She was capable, unflappable and responsive to the need to get the job done in a work environment fraught with tight scheduling.

“Annette would remain calm, or at least never show stress, and reassure our team when our workload seemed overwhelming. She genuinely embraced challenges and was confident in her ability to take them on,” says Ines Louis, MediaEdge production manager. “She was warm, approachable and kind, and had a way of making people feel confident and supported.”

In recent years, Annette added cancer treatment to her to-do list, as she continued to turn out high-calibre work amid various rounds of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. That’s indictive of her commitment and tenacity, but also of the meaningfulness she derived from her career.

We are heartened that it helped provide a stimulating refuge for her as she grappled with other threatening uncertainties. Even in the depths of her illness, earlier this month, she conveyed to MediaEdge president Kevin Brown that she would like to keep working on a few design projects once she was feeling strong enough to do so.

“Annette was happiest when she was creating and drawing on her abundant artistic talent. I especially think of how enthusiastic and engaged she became when we were launching a new product or refreshing an existing one. If asked for two design concepts, she would often deliver four, each one clearly showing that her creative energy was flowing,” Brown recalls. “Her commitment to her work was extraordinary, yet always balanced. She also made time for the other things she loved: the outdoors, her social circle and cycling.”

Annette’s co-workers were beneficiaries of her thoughtfulness, loyalty and zest for living. Many of us can look around our homes and see the items — from artwork to kitchenware — that she has gifted us over the years, and think back on happy escapades from company social functions or informal gatherings of co-workers and MediaEdge alumni.

She was an avid cyclist and skier, and a natural athlete whom everyone coveted as a teammate whether it was for the company golf, bowling or axe-throwing event. And, of course, with her design acumen, she brought a clear competitive advantage to the lucky team that secured her for last year’s cake-decorating challenge.

“She was a great athlete who picked any sport up quickly, from golf to excelling at road biking,” says Chuck Nervick, MediaEdge executive vice president. “It was a joy to work with Annette for 25+ years, and experience her skill, positive attitude and commitment to the company, staff and clients. She will be missed beyond words, but her memory will never fade.”

Annette loved good conversation, good food and a glass of something bubbly. We lift one in a toast to you, dear friend.