The first time I saw Stephanie’s invitations, I was in love. The color, the design, the setup, the detailing, everything, it was all just perfect. It wasn’t your standard template invitation, where you go to a website, pick a color, add the type, and print stock cards that could look like next week’s wedding invites. These were custom and oh man, they were niiiiiice.

Fast forward a bit to when I was planning a styled shoot with Bethany + Ainsley, and when discussing the invitation suite and design setup, I knew who I wanted to ask to be part of the team! Kelly is the sweetest and has an amazing eye! We simply told Kelly the idea we had for the shoot, and let her fly with it! Not only was it amazing, but the experience of working with her was flawless! Anywho – I know it’s been a while since the last edition of my “Vendor Feature” posts, let me introduce you to Kelly of Kelly Graves Design!

Tell me about yourself!

My name is Kelly Graves and I’ve been in the graphic design field for about 13 years. I have a degree in Graphic Design from Eastern Illinois University. Some of my past jobs included designing for the Urbana Park District, Horizon Hobby, U of I and Taylor Studios. I’m married to my husband, Tom and we have 3 girls, Maddy (9), Leah (7) and Olivia (4). When I’m not working, I’m driving kids to activities or coaching my oldest daughter’s softball team. At the moment, I primarily design custom wedding invitations. My past experience has been in anything and everything design. I have designed packaging, catalogs, brochures, logos, and even museum graphics.

When did you start your business?

I went out on my own as a freelancer in 2013.

Random fact #4!

I usually can’t listen to music and work at the same time. It gets me too distracted.

What made you start your business?

When I get asked this question, I always joke that I went into art because I was terrible at math. The truth is, ever since I can remember, I’ve always loved drawing and designing. I remember specifically being so proud after winning a few drawing contests in middle school and thinking I wanted to do that for a living.

Random fact #5!

I am deathly afraid of worms and snakes.

What has been the hardest obstacle so far in your career?

Two things come to mind. I’d say making sure that I stay focused since I’m working from home and also coping with the ebb and flow of projects. There are times when I’m swamped and at max capacity and a week or two later I may have nothing to work on at all.

Random fact #8!

My dream would be to own a tiny office. Similar to a tiny house, but completely functioning as an office space.

What’s your favorite work ‘tool’?

I’ve got two for this answer, also. Adobe Creative Suite is my favorite design ‘tool’ and Asana is my favorite project management ‘tool’.

What kind of advice would you give your future clients?

Don’t be afraid to tell me your thoughts when I send you a proof. I can’t make it perfect unless I know what you are wanting.

Random fact #9!

The summer after high school, I was on a hot air balloon race team. The day it was my turn to ride in the race, the balloon landed in a bean field and I was covered in worms (see #5 above to know how I felt about that).

One big ‘ol thank you to the ever lovely Kelly Graves for all that you do, and I cannot wait to see your next piece of art! You can reach Kelly by emailing kgraves@kellygravesdesign.com