Graphic designer's full-circle career spans two continents and 30 years

Showcasing experienced entrepreneurs offers an added marketing communications or social media element to help promote their businesses. In addition, it provides a forum through which they can share solutions to unique business challenges that might be the answer to a similar challenge with which yet another entrepreneur is struggling. This openness of information flows with the following story offered by

Gabi Ladowski, owner
Gabi Ladowski Design & Creative Services
www.gabiladowski.com
gabi@gabiladowski.com
847-259-6415

ABOUT MY BUSINESS
I’m a freelance consultant graphic designer, art director and translator celebrating 30 years of full-service creative for all media. This includes graphic design, packaging, web design, logo design, branding, marketing consultation, and much more. I get involved in the entire project from concept to finish. A sampling of what I create would be corporate communications, brochures, editorials, catalogs, newsletters, advertising, website design, Internet marketing, optimization, brand identity, logos, and signage. More recently, I’ve been offering bilingual translation services used for documentation, instruction manuals, handbooks, newsletters, and advertising. I work with marketing professionals, web developers, copywriters, and others to provide a complete creative service.

MY UNIQUENESS
My full involvement is what sets me apart. I go beyond the traditional graphic design project by getting involved in the client’s marketing strategy in order to provide the best possible service. I research the industry, the client’s competition and take all measures to ensure that the client gets the best return on his or her investment. I work to make the client competitive by anticipating in what other areas I can help with the client’s long-term rather than short-term marketing program. In addition, I’m able to be more competitive than most because I have no overhead, no employee salaries or benefits which allows me to pass along savings to my clients.

MY IDEAL CLIENT
Any business that is open to suggestions would be an ideal client. Also one that is ambitious and wants to get ahead of the competition. Or, a company that understands that graphic design is more than just hiring an artist to create a great one-time design, but it's collaborating with the graphic designer as a means of making their business successful. I guess the perfect client is one who understands the overall value that a designer brings to the table.

UNIQUE CHALLENGE
I came to the United States in 1989, after already having established a very successful graphic design business in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Upon arriving here I found myself having to start my career all over, again, from square one.

EFFECTIVE RESOLUTION
Initially, I looked for design work among some of the major advertising agencies and design studios, but with no success due to the recessionary economic climate that existed in the late ‘80s. I thought my luck had turned when a vice president of a major ad agency offered me a position – ironically, however, it was in Buenos Aires! Of course, I declined. I finally was hired as the art director of a start-up software company. After a few years there and then with other companies, I was becoming more and more of an independent consultant. At the time, companies were experiencing layoffs, yet realizing they still needed to get things done. I was in the perfect position to create the perfect combination for both them and me. So, in late 2001, I went back to my roots and, once again, started my own firm. Soon after, I was hired by one of the largest book publishers in the country on a contract basis to work on their bilingual educational books. That opened a new market for my business and I added bilingual translation to my list of services. I finally had come full circle – from business owner to creative-for-hire back to business owner and am proudly celebrating my 30th Anniversary of delivering full-service creative for all media.