In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve got a new logo. Yep, that piggy bank at the top of the page is jiggling its change and paving the way for more cheeky articles on saving money in Austin. Plus, as one of our regular readers noted, it also plays into the Austin food scene’s current fascination with all things pork. Baconalia indeed!
By way of further introducing this little piggy, we’ve also done a fun interview with the designer, Jen Stamps, who runs her own Austin-based design company, Adrinah Design.
SHOESTRING AUSTIN: How long have you been living in Austin, and what originally brought you here?
JEN STAMPS: I’ve been living in Austin almost 4 years! My boyfriend (now my husband) and I moved here from Arizona after we graduated from Arizona State University. We moved so he could attend Law School at UT. Once he graduated, we were very thankful that he was able to find a job in Austin so we could stay here!
SA: What are some of the design projects you’ve worked on in town?
JS: It’s funny, because most of my clients are scattered all across the country. Other than Shoestring Austin, I’ve done business cards for a local business, invitations, and most recently t-shirt designs with an Austin flair! The company promotes getting active and supporting local business, the designs were geared towards running and cycling.
SA: What’s the full roster of services you provide, and do you often work with clients on small budgets, or did we just catch you in a good mood?
JS: The list of services I provide is actually endless. Every once in a while I’ll get a request to design something I’ve never done before (for instance the t-shirt company). Pretty much if you can print it, or it goes along with brand development, I can design it. I will say however, that my specialty is brand development.
My clients generally are on a smaller scale budget, mostly because I work with start-ups, entrepreneurs, individuals, and non-profits. I have been known to offer my services pro-bono to organizations I support and am passionate about. Supporting local business is one of them, so Shoestring Austin should give themselves a nice pat on the back!
SA: Thanks, Jen! Okay, picture this: Your “dream” client here in Austin calls you up and wants you to do a total re-branding. Who is it, and how do you remake them in your own image?
JS: Wow, this is a really great question! I will say that rebranding is my favorite type of project. It’s so much fun, very challenging, and quite rewarding both personally and professionally.
I don’t necessarily have a “dream” company in mind, but I would love to work with a true Austin based company and help develop their brand as a distinctively Austin brand.
SA: As a freelancer, you probably keep kind of crazy hours. How do you relax when you’re not grinding out graphic designs?
JS: One thing I try really hard to do is keep vacation days strictly vacation. Sometimes that means taking a random Monday off because I often work weekends. When I relax, I usually go out and do something. I’m a huge sports fan and love being active, so it might mean a run on Lady Bird Lake, a baseball game at Dell Diamond, or just a walk down SoCo to check things out. Austin is pretty awesome, so there is almost always something fun to do!
SA: You’ve got a bunch of cool t-shirt designs in your online store, some of which benefit animal shelters. Why is this cause close to your heart?
JS: Thank you! I am a huge animal lover! I rescued Winston, my dog, from a shelter and am an avid believer of rescuing/adopting over buying. Some of the proceeds from the shirts in the “Causes” line will go to different animal shelters nationwide. To start, I chose Carolina Animal Rescue & Adoption (CARA). I chose them because they were one of my very first clients when I started my business a year ago. I did their re-branding project and loved working with them so much! When I opened the t-shirt shop (celebrating my 1-year anniversary), I wanted to utilize it to help rescue organizations. CARA just seemed like the perfect organization to work with first!
SA: That’s awesome. We love animals, too; our cat, Ned, was a kitty rescue from the mean streets—and now he’s world-famous and running his own website! Cats today are so tech-savvy. Just one more question for you: do you have any advice for businesses operating on a shoestring budget when it comes to hiring freelancers or graphic designers like yourself?
JS: For companies working on a shoestring budget, I’d first truly assess your needs. There are a lot of freelance designers out there that specialize in many different things, and their prices are going to vary greatly. Secondly, research your options. I, for one, post my starting prices on my website. You will find that this is rare for designers, but I find that it helps potential clients. If a designer doesn’t have their prices on their website, ask for a quote. Most will give you a quote for free.
Once you’ve truly assessed your needs, you might realize that all you need is a really great logo. Sure, business cards, social media avatars, letterhead, web banners are great, but if you’re on a strict budget, some of these things can wait until later down the road, if a logo will be enough to start your brand. One thing to keep in mind if you’re looking for the entire package is that I offer a 10% discount on all packaged designs, meaning that if you contract me to design two or more things, there is a 10% discount off the total price.
SA: Excellent! Thanks so much for helping us our with our logo (and new social media avatars), and we hope to see more of your work popping up around town.
To contact Jen about a design project, check out more of her work, or buy some excellent t-shirts, visit her website at adrinahdesign.com.
