Cheers to One Year!
I am so happy I decided to buckle down and rebrand myself during 2021! Luminea Creative and all it stands for fits me so much better than the general catch-all design work I was doing previously. Partnering with nonprofits and mission-forward companies allows me to utilize my design skills to make the world a better place. When the visuals help amplify a concise message, I can see how impactful good design can be on the bottom line. In order to help as many clients as possible, I’ve expanded my service offerings for a larger range of budgets.
“When the visuals help amplify a concise message, I can see how impactful good design can be on the bottom line.”
The Story Behind Luminea Creative
In 2018, I became an independent designer and I used the first three years to learn new skills and try out areas of design that had been closed to me in my previous job. It was a lot of fun to explore different facets of design and see what stuck. The new skills were nice, but what I really enjoyed was partnering with clients on deep, conceptual design work—brand strategy and design. By 2020, I knew I wanted to narrow my focus and needed a rebrand.
Cue the perfectionist anxiety on designing for oneself—oof. It took a year of brainstorming, mind maps, and bouncing ideas off friends and family before I landed on Luminea Creative. I kept coming back to the idea of illuminating the heart of a brand through the creative process as well as the idea of nurturing my clients and helping their business grow. "Lumin" means light and one of my favorite perennial flowers ends in "ea" (echinacea). Gardening rule number one—there is no growth without light, so it seemed like a good combination!
Thank You to My Clients!
I’m grateful for the variety of design work I’ve accomplished over the past year. When working with clients over a longer term, I can really see the impact my design work has on their goals, and their wins become mine as well. I’ve highlighted some of my favorites below:
New and Improved Range of Services
Brand Strategy:
A two-hour 1:1 strategy intensive in which we will take a deep dive into where your brand is currently and where it should be going in the future. This session will help me to create a brand map for you—a verbal and visual guide of your audience, voice, and core brand values—your why. Learn more about brand strategy here.
Brand Identity:
After your brand and style map has been finalized, I move on to visualizing your brand values as a logo or wordmark. I will showcase the design with mockups that may include signage, stationery, apparel, or a webpage. Your final logo will be incorporated into a brand book which will include information from our strategy session, as well as color, type, and design guidelines. This is something that either you or your employees can refer to when communicating with your audience. Learn about the brand design process here.
Brand Intensive:
Aimed at new businesses with smaller budgets who want to get off the ground quickly, the Brand Intensive is a two-week process. Instead of a 1:1 brand strategy session, I will give you a strategy workbook that will guide you through the same questions on your own time. Once your brand strategy workbook is complete, we will schedule a short meeting to discuss your business goals, and answer any further questions you may have before the design process begins. I will use your feedback to create several style boards for you. When we agree on a design direction, I will develop a strong brand concept that will be incorporated into a style guide including alternate logo orientations, color and type palettes, and general design guidelines.
VIP Design Day:
A full day’s access to my design skills! We begin with a call to talk over your priorities and goals, then schedule a day for me to give your brand a mini-refresh or design new marketing materials for you. Weeks' worth of back and forth can be condensed into 1–2 days. Learn more about the VIP Design Day process here.
Additional Services:
Event Branding: I not only brand organizations but events as well. Themed events need consistent branding as much as companies do in order to catch the attention of potential attendees. Event branding should fit into your brand’s overall look but also have its own personality.
Long-Form Publications: Annual reports, magazines, and books are mini-brand ambassadors. They should tell a story that supports your brand’s mission and values in a visually compelling way. I have more than 20 years of experience designing print and digital publications—from 12 pages to 100.
Thank you for making my first year as Luminea Creative a success! If I can help you or anyone you know illuminate the heart of their brand and grow their audience, contact me here.
