I'm Barbara
Owner and Designer at Paisley Slate
I love my job!
I believe that the world is in desperate need of kind, uplifting, and empowering voices. I love using graphic and web design solutions to help individuals and small businesses make a difference. Let’s work together to cut through the noise and distractions so that your message makes a powerful impression on the people you serve.
The Paisley Slate Story
THE LANGUAGE OF DESIGN
I’m a self-diagnosed bibliophile, and I learned very early on that words are beautiful and powerful things. They build and destroy. They hurt and they heal. And they are glorious.
The true power of words is the ability they give us to clearly and precisely communicate with each other. So what does that have to do with design? Design is more than decoration: it’s a language that connects us with others in beautiful ways.
I truly believe that together we can reach your target audience more effectively as we put the language of design to work for you!
How I became a Designer
Visual Communication
I've loved language and creative communication from the very beginning, and I added to my collection of words by studying several different languages. My favorite is the rich, animated Italian language that I learned while living in Northern Italy. Approaching projects with an understanding of different cultural perspectives enables us to visually communicate more effectively with your audience.
Making Before It Was Cool
Creativity kept me sane as a young mother, but I quickly ran into a frustration, because in those days digital resources for creatives were expensive and restrictive. With the help of a mentor and some primitive design software, I learned to create my own illustrations for digital stamps, quotes, elements, and papers, and then began selling them to others who were looking for creative digital resources.
Creativity is Contagious
Writing articles and teaching online tutorials and classes has allowed me to share what I have learned, and the best part of the job is helping others find their own (sometimes hidden) creative genius. You can find my newest classes on Skillshare.
Training and Credentials
Recently I went back to school, learned the theories and principles that make up the grammar of design, and then threw in the language of building websites for good measure. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Web Design and Development, and started Paisley Slate.
Beautiful things are about to happen!
Let’s chat! If you know exactly what you want, and you’re ready to get started, let’s chat. If you’re completely lost, and need someone to bounce ideas off, let’s chat. If you’re shopping around for your ideal design team and want to interview me for the job, let’s chat. Let’s spend 30 minutes exploring possibilities and getting to know each other. The initial consultation is free.
The Paisley Slate Process
01
Consult
The key to a successful project is making sure we’re on the same page from the very beginning. Let’s chat to be sure you and I make the perfect team for your project.
02
Plan
Once we have a contract in place, I’ll do some research, sketches, wire frames, and drafts to be sure we have a strategic, goal-driven plan in place as we hit the ground running.
03
Design
This is where I use the tools and principles of design to combine ideas and plans, into a project built specifically to meet your unique goals and needs.
04
Refine
It’s tempting to fall in love with the design and call it a day, but user experience is an essential part of a UI/UX powered design process, so we’ll do some user testing!
05
Finalize
Once we’ve used feedback to refine the design and iron out any wrinkles, you’ll approve the design and I’ll provide you with the final project.
06
Repeat
I’m pretty sure by this point in the process we will have become best friends. I hope you’re already thinking of new projects to work on together!