Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Savana Giesken. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Savana, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
I like to say I started my business organically, but that’s just a fancy way of saying I never really planned on running my own graphic design business. My journey towards entrepreneurship started with a couple unread emails and a small business owner finally taking a chance and inviting me for a cup of coffee. Today, that small business owner is one of my closest friends and mentors, and I’ve created nearly every single one of her brands and websites for her business ventures, from a women’s clothing boutique to a home and gift store to an airbnb to a lifestyle coach to her latest venture, a coffee shop and curated mercantile. But to rewind, that cup of coffee led to Stephanie hiring me as her social media and marketing manager, and I became her right hand gal. If you know anything about running a small business, you know that roles are often fluid and require each person to wear many hats, so my marketing role also doubled as sales associate, inventory manager, event planner, and graphic designer. Stephanie quickly learned that graphic design was my true passion, so less than a year into working together she empowered me to rebrand her boutique and rebuild her website, two things I had minimal experience doing. So, learning along the way, I did exactly that. I slowly began picking up a few more website and brand clients here and there, and decided to lean in to my new freelance graphic design role.
I launched Sav Creative, marketing myself to small business owners looking for a brand, website, or print design for an affordable price. Thankfully, I had an extremely talented small business owner that gave me the confidence to start and the tools to keep going. Through lots of mentor chats, some Youtube University, and plenty of research to see how other graphic designer entrepreneurs ran their business, Sav Creative really took off. In 2019, I graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a degree in Digital Media and by that point I was seeing a steady flow of design clients while still working with Steph. In 2021, my now husband graduated as well and was applying to medical school. He was accepted to Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, so we packed all our belongings in my dad’s horse trailer and took off for our new beginning. I like to call this point in my journey a “sink or swim” moment – I could either maintain a steady flow of clients to earn a sufficient income doing what I loved, or I could get a “real” job. I swam.
Today, I have had the immense privilege to work with many amazing small business owners and I feel so grateful that my journey has allowed me to help them follow their own dreams. I recently rebranded my company to Sonder Design Company, a transition that feels true to the kinds of clients I love to work for and the intentional design process I follow. For me, the art of website design and branding has always been way more than just creating something pretty; it’s about telling my clients’ stories in a way that is meaningful, impactful, and true to their journey.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am the founder and solo designer of Sonder Design Company, my recently re-branded and re-imagined brand and web design studio. I have a major sweet tooth, a deep love for being immersed in nature, and my ideal Saturday is getting lost in the woods with my German Shepherd pup, Denali, and then browsing a local plant nursery or home decor shop with a latte in hand. I also love connecting with humans on a deeper level and getting to know the why behind their business and what fuels their passion, which is where the pull and inspiration for my rebrand began.
The definition of Sonder, which is the core value behind my business, is as follows:
“The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own- populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness- an epic story which continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in a busy café, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a soft smile crossing paths on the street, as a lighted window at dusk.”
I remember reading that definition for the first time and thinking- this is it. This is what it’s all about. Being an artist is so much more than creating pretty things, it’s about telling stories through art and creating work that resonates with your ideal target audience. It is an immense privilege to be able to listen to my clients’ stories and weave them into a beautifully crafted website or intentional brand that reflects not just what my clients do, but why they do it. Through my art , I’m able to create a space for clients to share their passion, talent and value with the world.
I offer full service website design and complete branding packages as well as marketing or event print designs. I pride myself on offering intentional and impactful products that represent my clients and their business and allow them to show up authentically and consistently to their audience. You won’t find any templates here; each product is handcrafted based on my clients’ goals, values and mission. I am most passionate about working with fellow entrepreneurs and creatives who love what they do and desire to make a living doing it. I love working with makers and creators, doers and dreamers, and those with a story to tell. Female-led tends to be my niche, but if you have a story to tell, I’d love to help you write it.
I am most proud of the growth and transformation of my business over the past five years. What started as delivering a single logo with endless revisions or a website with no real goal in mind is now a carefully crafted, intentional design process that delivers consistent results my clients love every, single, time. I love to stay connected with previous clients and watch their journey as they embody their new brand or utilize their new website to streamline and grow their business.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The one thing that helped build my reputation within my market is delivering a great product and ensuring client satisfaction every single time. The biggest way that I’ve done this is through consistent, intentional communication. Throughout the web or brand design process, I explain each step in detail and offer multiple checkpoints and revisions along the way to ensure my vision is aligning with the vision of my client. In my brand design process, that process looks something like this: a video discovery call where we get to know each other and I listen— to your story, your pain points, and your goals and dreams—a follow up questionnaire to dive deeper on the specific points of crafting your brand, a mood board where I gather inspiration for fonts, icons, imagery, and the overall vibe of your brand to ensure we’re on the same page before I ever start designing, and finally two intentionally created brands presented in another video call to talk through each direction, with the option for revisions of your chosen brand ensuring it’s everything you dreamed of and more. One thing I’ve learned running my own business is that humans want to work with humans, so the more connection and understanding I can bring into my process, the happier my client will be in the end.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
To piggyback off the previous question of building my reputation, my clients have been the best source of new clients. By caring deeply about my clients and the product I deliver them contributing to their business growth, my amazing clients want to return the favor. My clients also tend to have their own entrepreneur circle of friends, which is exactly the kind of people that need my services. So, the fact that my clients loved working with me makes them want to recommend me to friends and peers that may be in need of brand or website design services. The second best source for attracting new clients is my website. With my recent website redesign, I poured my heart and soul into the intention behind my business, and I know the clients that connect with that intention are my kinda people. I also highlighted each of my favorite projects with their own page to shine, so business owners can find inspiration and connection through similar business niches.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sonderdesignco.com
- Instagram: @sonderdesigned
- Facebook: @sonderdesigned
