Hey, I’m Caris, a nature-loving creative crafting charismatic designs that elevate my clients’ brands and products, helping increase sales and brand recognition.

to create charismatic branding, websites, and illustrations for driven and focused makers and doers who want to thrive in a world of mass production and over-consumption by inspiring devotion for their products, mission, vision, and brand through impactful designs.

Carisma Design Studio Mission

There’s a lot I could say about who I am, what makes me tick, and how I’ve gotten to where I am today. But I suppose I should start with my business, Carisma Design Studio.

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The How

Carisma Design Studio was born out of necessity. I was three-ish months out of college, and my undiagnosed chronic pain and fatigue filled me with hesitation and fear about finding an in-person corporate job. For those three months, I tried to give myself rest (I mean, I had just completed 4 years of college, right?). However, I could never fully escape the sea of unanswered questions flowing through my head. Could I consistently wake up each morning ready to go? Will I need to take ibuprofen for days and days just to get through the worst weeks? Will I have to go eight hours without eating just so I don’t risk abdominal pain? All of these questions swirled around in my head…

I was overwhelmed with unanswered questions about my undiagnosed reality, yet I did know one thing: I could do the work and do it well – I just couldn’t do the environment. So, I began exploring the idea of freelancing, which eventually morphed into starting my own business. I took a three-month-long course dedicated to empowering freelance designers, and it gifted me everything I never knew I needed to succeed. I learned to create an impactful client experience, cohesive brand guidelines, how to effectively explore and diagnose what my clients need, and so much more. Within a few months of starting that course, I had created Carisma Design Studio.

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The Why

So that’s the how, but what about my why? Why did this spark start, and why do I continue to keep it alive? Well, for a very selfish reason, I think. I love what I do; I love the feeling of being a part of someone’s success and journey, seeing them grow and blossom and come to life for their passion as we dialogue about their journey and dreams. I’m not quite sure how to describe the feeling this gives me… I often say to my friends, “I have an abstract concept I’m visualizing in my head, but I have no words to verbalize it.” I suppose it feels pure and rich with hopeful potential, like clean white linen waving in the gold light of a sunrise.

I also do what I do because I know the importance of my work and skills. Branding, websites, and illustrations can be a make or break for a business’s long-term success, yet I see my target audience being forgotten in the world of branding. I see them being fed a lie that you don’t need branding, that their businesses aren’t serious enough for it. This boils my blood as it ties directly into the other lie that craftsmen, makers, doers, and artisans are the least important contributors to our world. How deceitful that message is; those skills and capabilities built and preserved life for countless societies, yet they are devalued in our age for whatever is cheaper and faster.

I always say that I’m not out to change the world, I’m out to change lives. If I can be instrumental in helping one person thrive and flourish, then have I not changed one person’s world?

Me, while writing this

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The Who

Well, I essentially just said who I work with, but I want to define it a bit more.

When I discussed why I do what I do, I left out one big factor: I love supporting people with similar loves as I have in life. Flower farmers, homesteaders, herbalists, apiaries, gardeners/farmers, ceramic artists, gem cutters, jewelry makers, ranchers, furniture makers, wood workers, glass blowers, other artists, etc – anyone unapologetically following their passion and purpose, whether it be creating, making, raising, or growing. In other, shorter words, I work with people I’d buy from.

It’s true; I’m a farmers-market-obsessed, small-business-loving creative. I structure my spending in a way that allows me to buy from a small business at least once a month, although my ultimate goal is to be supporting at least eight a month. In some ways, I hope to create a cycle – small businesses purchase from me, and then I purchase from other small businesses. A beautiful cycle of support.

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The What

So, what do I offer that allows me to uplift my target audience and their business? The answer is brand design, website design, and custom illustrations!

My mission is to create charismatic branding, websites, and illustrations for driven and focused makers and doers who want to thrive in a world of mass production and over-consumption by inspiring devotion for their products, mission, vision, and brand through impactful designs.

In branding, I utilized the one-concept method and a streamlined process to uproot, dissect, and create a complete brand identity that empowers my clients on their journey. I never use Canva in the design process; I design custom identities through an in-depth process and execute it by hand in Adobe Illustrator to ensure my clients can thrive. My end goal is not only to increase sales and brand recognition on the business level but also to replenish my client’s passion for their business and empower them for their next big step.

In web design, I break down my clients’ needs and the story they want to tell, then build a converting website that not only blooms with charisma, but guides customers to ultimately complete a purchase. I mainly create with Showit as it allows the fastest turnaround without sacrificing function nor visuals, but I’m always ready to meet the challenge of designing in another site builder.

For illustration, I love to explore my client’s wildest dreams and make them come true. Illustrations seem to be all about visuals and form, but they can be just as impactful as branding when backed by strategy. Selecting the right texture, medium, subject matter, and style can morph your brand into something beyond its original form, making it unforgettable and instantly recognizable. I primarily create digital illustrations, but I prioritize a drawn, textured look. If you want to see how you can use illustration in your business, check out my website or some of my projects; many of the brand patterns are illustrated, and all of the flowers on my site were hand-drawn by me!

If you want to see some of my work, you can check it out here! Or, if you want to see my services and set up a discovery call, you can see my service here and inquire here.

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Some Fun Facts & Stuff

Ok, we’re getting to the end, but let’s do a quick fun facts list of my likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams.

Dreams: Being a 65-year-old with a giant flourishing garden that I can sit in all day while drinking tea, listening to an audiobook, and drawing. I want to have a beautiful home full of memories with people I love that is also a safe gathering space for people to come together and talk (with plenty of baked goods and food). Career-wise, I want to be able to look back and see a community of clients that I helped by creating beautiful designs that elevated their businesses beyond their dreams. I want to be able to think about every single client fondly and remember each of them individually. Oh yeah, and I also want to have licensed and sold my own artwork as stationary and fabric collections (stick around to see when that launches).

For those who care, I am a:
Myers Briggs: INTJ
Enneagram: 5w6
DISC Test: CDS
Principles You: Coach & Quiet Leader