Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisa Von De Linde. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My business and design work are driven by a desire to make a difference in lives and communities. I have a big heart for causes that advocate for social justice, especially those tied to efforts to end human trafficking—a cause that’s been tugging at my heart for the past 18 years.

From the beginning (when I first began pursuing the field of graphic design) I said I wanted to design things that matter. I could never enjoy what I do or feel there is purpose in my work if I was designing for a large corporation or agency creating what ends up being thrown away as junk mail.

I choose to use my design skills and years of expertise to create:
– Book covers and interiors that speak to eager minds
– Courses and products that help people learn and grow
– Packaging for products that are clean and healthy for your body and the environment
– Brand identity development + marketing for organizations that are impacting lives in a big way

My goal is for your idea (product, book, cause, course, organization, your thing) to have the best chance at making the impact you envision. To get your message out there so it stands out the way that it should. To be excellent and shine bright amongst all the noise that exists in our oversaturated world.

By partnering together —high-end graphic design services with a vision/cause/story—we magnify the difference being made in the world.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I am Lisa V of the LisaVdesigns, LLC studio. Graphic design has been my world for about 19 years. I jumped into the publishing world as a college graduate spending a number of years at a small Minnesota agency designing books for a few large U.S. publishing houses. I learned the industry, developed my skills as a young graphic designer, and worked in an environment that allowed me to grow in my knowledge of the project process and good customer service practices.

Those early years as a professional graphic designer built a solid foundation for me to step out on my own and work independently. For the past 12 years my studio has served a variety of clients:
– Self-publishing authors
– Non-profit organizations
– Entrepreneurs
– Musicians
– Churches
– Eco-friendly / Fair Trade businesses
– Health / Skin Care companies

The core services I provide are broken down into two categories—books and brands. Book design encompasses anything that is a page layout product. It could be a traditional book (paperback or hardcover), journal/planner, course, workbook, catalog, magazine, or another multi-page piece. The end product for self-published authors is a book that matches the design quality of a big name publishing house.

When it comes to brand design, I offer brand identity system development (logos + all the other elements that make a brand an identifiable brand) and ongoing design services to provide collateral and marketing material that are cohesively designed to match the established brand aesthetic. This can include print pieces like business cards, brochures, flyers, postcards, apparel, product packaging, and signage. And anything digital like social media graphics, website graphics, and other material intended for online use.

This year brought an author to me that I first met about 18 years ago when I volunteered for a few months with an organization called Mercy Ships. You never know when a connection from any point in your life might show up again and you’ll be able to be of service. She’s been a dream client and her first book launched mid-September. It’s one of those design projects I had a lot of fun working on and we’re already seeing and hearing so much about the impact the book is having. The comments she’s shared with me are so encouraging—about the book itself AND the cover + interior design!

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

The standard advice I’ve seen is that it’s wise to have 5-7 streams of revenue!

As a solo-preneur it is essential to have a variety of sources to keep things flowing smoothly. I have yet to reach seven, but I have been working to add a couple over the past few years.

LisaVdesigns Your Strategy consultation sessions are available for those who want to chat thru their vision, brainstorm, and learn more about how partnering with a professional graphic designer can help them achieve their goal.

These paid consultation sessions launched earlier this year. This shift is a way to make sure all the time spent sharing knowledge, strategies, and advice regarding graphic design services and project planning is valued the same as the time spent designing a client’s project. I absolutely LOVE chatting about all things self-publishing with aspiring authors.

And I’ve got another one in the works to launch—packs of pre-designed social media graphics that I customize with the customer’s brand colors.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes! This one is specific to the creative industry (graphic designers, illustrators, artists, animators, interactive designers, web developers) and was a HUGE help to me in the early years of working independently. The “Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines” handbook is GOLD! (here’s the book on the GAG website for reference). The name pretty much covers what it provides—there is pricing information for a wide range of industries and projects as well as terms regarding copyright licensing and contract agreements.

If you are a creative this is THE resource you need to have. The Guild updates it regularly, but the basic advice and guidelines are standards any creative should keep in mind while working as a freelancer, contractor, or entrepreneur. Anyone just starting out that has questions will definitely benefit from getting this book to use as a reference. I still pull mine out, it’s especially great for new project inquiries that are different from the usual projects to do some research before providing a project estimate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lisavdesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisavdesigner/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaVdesigns/

Image Credits
VSD Photography