Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Neubauer.
Erica, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m originally from California and grew up in the Napa Valley. I’ve always been interested in design and communications- in college, I studied video communications- but it wasn’t until I started working as a designer for my college’s yearbook staff that I discovered my true passion, which is graphic design. After graduation, I knew I wanted to do two things- 1- get a Masters degree in Graphic Design and 2- live in a foreign country. Thus it happened that I applied and was accepted to the University of the Creative Arts in Maidstone, UK and graduated with honors 1.5 years later. I loved my time studying and working in England and learned so much from my course mates and my internship. Just as I was about to graduate, I became pregnant with my oldest child, which quickly changed my plans of working at a design agency into being self-employed.
I’ve worked for myself ever since, doing logos, websites and print designs for small businesses, non-profits, start-ups, etc. We moved back to the US after our 2nd son was born, and have lived in California, Pennsylvania, and now Georgia. Each time, I’ve continued to work remotely, with clients in England and all over the US. And, I’ve had 2 more children (now a total of 4)- I love being a working mom (although it has its challenges!) and I love that my job allows me the freedom and flexibility that it does. Currently, I’m in the process of seeing what the next stage of my business will be and how I can grow it even more. I’ve found Macon to be a place with a lot of creative people and also a lot of exciting development going on- it’s given me lots of great opportunities to work on new design projects and to meet some wonderful new clients!
Has it been a smooth road?
Transitioning from a BA in video communications to a graduate program in graphic design wasn’t easy- my portfolio was pretty minimal at that point and everything I knew I either taught myself or learned from my design colleagues on the yearbook staff. I didn’t get accepted to my first choice school but did get accepted into my second choice (failure is not a reason to give up!). It felt like I spent most of my Masters program trying to hide the fact that I was learning as I went! But, I learned so much about design from my coursemates and from the internship I did with a creative agency and from my instructors, I’m forever grateful for that opportunity. And, being self-employed has had plenty of challenges- including learning the “business” side, knowing how to quote a project, lack of co-worker relationships, etc.
Tell us more about the business.
My work includes logo, print and web design, split pretty evenly between those three areas. I love doing logos because they are so unique- each one presents a fresh opportunity and challenge to really understand the identity of the company or person and then to communicate it. I do WordPress website design and some development, helping clients set up their websites, customize extra plugins for conference registrations, e-commerce sales, etc. I can also digging into the HTML/PHP code for troubleshooting and customization and provide on-going website tech support. The print designs that I do are generally event posters and flyers (these tend to be a lot of fun!) as well as newsletters and annual reports. One of my most interesting projects to date was creating a Willa Wonka inspired candy bar wrapper for a client.
Pricing:
- Logos starting at $1000
- Websites starting at $3000
- Print Designs starting at $150/page
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ericasneubauer.com
- Phone: 478-227-0486
- Email: info@ericasneubauer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericasneubauer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericasneubauer/
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