Q. Cassetti was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1957.  She earned her B.F.A. in design from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in 1979, where she focused on graphic design and typography.  In 2007, Cassetti earned a M.A. in illustration from Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY.  In 2009, she earned her M.F.A. in illustration at the University of Hartford in Hartford, CT.

From 1972 to 1979, Cassetti was mentored by calligrapher Arnold Bank at Carnegie Mellon University. From 1980 to 1997, she worked as an in-house designer for Corning Incorporated, Tiffany and Company, Estee Lauder Companies, and design consulting firms in Philadelphia and New York City.

In 1997, Cassetti founded her design consultancy, Luckystone Partners, collaborating on corporate identity and strategy, packaging, print, and direct mail for Quest Diagnostics, Corning Incorporated, Steuben Glass, Cornell University, and The Corning Museum of Glass. 

Cassetti’s decorative illustration has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, New York; the Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles; Communication Arts Magazine; American Illustration; 3x3; and Creative Quarterly.

Cassetti lives and works in New York’s Finger Lakes region.