Hello, it’s nice to meet you! I’m the graphic designer and founder of By The Marina LLC. I currently work full time as a Cardiac Cath Lab Registered Nurse while managing my business. By The Marina LLC is an umbrella for the many services my business provides, including By The Marina Graphic Design, By The Marina Clothing, and By The Marina Social Media Marketing.

how i started

I majored in Nursing in college and am currently a Cardiac Cath Lab Registered Nurse. I absolutely love my job…caring for critically ill patients experiencing heart attacks, providing comfort for them and their loved ones, advocating that they receive top notch care, and working with others who have similar passions for patient care. I have a stable and demanding career, but I’ve always been in need of a creative outlet to counterbalance the physical and mental demands of the job.

I began my graphic design career with my Etsy shop, By The Marina Clothing. I had no previous experience with graphic design or business for that matter, but I wanted to try something new. I began researching trends with Print On Demand and started designing original graphics for apparel like t-shirts, hoodies, and more. After a short 4 months of designing and self-teaching, I became a BEST SELLER on Etsy! I felt a huge sense of confidence and accomplishment after reaching my goal so early in my side hustle. So in order to expand my graphic design capabilities, I reached out to friends who were started new businesses as well. I began creating branded content for their new businesses including logos, pricing sheets, websites, yard signs, business cards…you name it. I also designed apparel for their employees. Additionally, I was given the opportunity to manage social media accounts for multiple local businesses, creating aesthetic content towards their brand.

My passion for graphic design became ten-fold after I discovered my abilities to create designs out of others visions in the way they were struggling to. I decided transform my side hustles into a career path, establish my business, and travel further out of my comfort zone to challenge my skills and grow my experience.

Communication Values

One of the most important aspects of this business is communicating and connecting with my clients. In order to determine my clients visions, brand identity, and expectations, I make a conscious effort to communicate effectively and professionally, in a friendly and vulnerable way. The more conversation between my clients and I during the design process, the better the results. I openly accept constructive criticism and encourage my clients to not be shy. I want my clients to feel that they can reach out to me at any point with new visions, content dumps, and any other requests during the design process. My ultimate goal is to make my clients feel understood and that the final products exceed their expectations.