We were lucky to catch up with Laura Bennett recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

There’s so many directions I could take this. At a micro level, there seems to be “new starts” almost daily. But at a macro level I’ve been doing what I’m doing for quite a long time now. Starting my design business was both intentional and accidental in ways. I left my full time job as a Graphic Designer with the Walt Disney Company in Florida and 9 months later found myself in LA as the owner, and lead designer of my own Design Studio: Laura Bennett Design. That makes it sound easy or casual, but that’s far from the truth. I felt called to leave my corporate creative job to make room for more creative practices in the studio and really focus on the type of design work I wanted to be making.

I have new ideas all the time, some of them feel familiar as if I’ve thought them before. Many just live in my back pocket and may never see the light of day. I can spend a lot of time ruminating on an idea. I’m a true dreamer. Sometimes the thought of something is more intoxicating than the real thing or the process to get there. I’m still learning to love the process.

I’ve recently embarked on creating a Font Foundry, LB Type as part of my design studio. In terms of ideation, the idea for this was birthed out of other failures, or maybe more so closed doors, and opportunity through relationship. I couldn’t shake that this seemed to be the more foundational aspect of who I am as a designer — a typography lover. It’s the first thing I took a liking to and the one thing I continue to come back to. I never set out to actually develop an entire Font Foundry creating typefaces but I found myself thinking about where I wanted my business to be in 10 years and I couldn’t ignore the opportunity to start.

Laura, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Laura, the Creative Director and Lead Designer of Laura Bennett Design. I’m the daughter of an artist — its in my blood.

I run a multi-disciplinary Design Studio and Font Foundry based in Los Angeles. We specialize in Brand Identity, Packaging Design, Font Design, Typography, Print Design and other creative practices. The heart of my business is to make work that reflects Beauty, Goodness and Truth — I really believe that art is powerful, and I want everything we do to feel like a real work of art. I feel a real sense of purpose knowing I get to bring beauty into the world and can highlight the way that art brings redemption and fosters connection.

I’ve always felt there was a uniqueness to how I integrate traditional art practices and design into my business. Personally, I’ve always ridden the line between fine-art and design. In fact I’m trying to spend more time in the studio making fine art. It helps me feel more connected and more creative. This fine art background is really what sets us apart in the ethos of Laura Bennett Design. This fuels our commitment to excellence and the dedication to always be improving our craft. I want clients to feel proud and excited to work with a designer who is shaping the visual direction of their brand with real intention and expertise.

I’m most proud of our 8 years in business and allowing ourselves to evolve as both creatives and as a business. This can be hard as a creative. You feel a real sense of identity and to allow growth and change can be inherently uncomfortable or feel uneasy. It can also be really easy to get caught up in the needs of the business or the impending deadlines and miss the miracle of being a working designer. I never want to take that for granted.

We’ve just recently launched a brand refresh for the studio and officially debuted LB Type our dedicated font foundry. Truthfully, I’m so excited about the work of Laura Bennett Design and LB Type. I feel like we’re making our best work yet.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’d love to say I’m always motivated by purpose and vision, but there are moments I can feel more motivated by fear than anything else.

I remember listening to a commentary on an album I loved while working at my job as a designer at Disney and the artist quoted Springsteen, “If what you do to survive kills the things you love then fear is a powerful thing.” I can still remember the moment. It was pivotal for me. This gave me a real sense of conviction about what was motivating me in my career and who I wanted to become as a designer.

This lesson has played a large part in many seasons of my business. During covid, my small business, like many, took a hit — and I remember really feeling intense pressure to stay afloat. Again, around year 6 or so in business I began to feel overworked and exhausted. I began realizing I’d felt the need to expand our services and try to compete in the climate of a changing creative industry. I had made very little time at all to focus on personal creative work. That familiar voice of fear had crept back in. This was the initial prompt to refresh our business and ultimately what led to scaling back our offerings, focusing on work we love and led to the birth of LB Type. It brought me back to the heart of why I started Laura Bennett Design and really felt that we’ve just uncovered what was there all along — a deep love for typography and design.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

By far the work we make and the impact it has, hands down, is the best part of being a creative. It still is really special to encounter work we’ve made in real life — to see it, to hold it, to watch it grow and become a part of peoples lives. For me, working on real brands, creating real product for people that you get to build a relationship with during the process, is really so meaningful.

When I look ahead I get really excited about the role that art and design play in inspiring people, impacting communities and ultimately changing culture. It’s central to bringing beauty and order into the world. I have really begun to think about how I’d love to see our work in the world one day, whether it’s our typefaces accompanying an exhibition at a museum, or becoming the title or credits of a feature film, or designing a brand or product that really revolutionizes a generation — I really can’t think of anything more exciting!

Contact Info:

• Website: laurabennettdesign.com (The Studio) lbtype.com (The Font Foundry)
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurabennettdesign/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurabennettdesign/
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lebennett/
  Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/laurabennettdesign
  Studio Email: info@laurabennettdesign.com
  Foundry Email: info@lbtype.com

Image Credits

Kami Arant