Brown Bag Lunch Series

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Becoming Your Own Boss–The Business of Design.

In 2006, graphic designers held about 261,000 jobs in the United States—about 25 percent were self-employed. How do you know when it’s time strike out on your own? What should you do to prepare? How do you find clients? Is it okay to carry clients over from your employer to your new business venture?

If the entrepreneurial bug has been biting you, this brown bag lunch discussion is for you. Graphic design entrepreneurs in Richmond—representing web, print, advertising and interactive media—will offer tips, information and advice on their transition from employee to founder and CEO in a panel discussion.

Panelists include:

Frank Gilliam, principal and creative director, Elevation
Frank Gilliam and Aaron Dotson became their own boss in 2001 when they started Elevation, a branding, advertising and design firm. Elevation’s daily mission is to do great creative work that helps clients achieve a higher level of success.

As a founding partner of Elevation, Frank is involved in day-to-day business management as well as providing creative direction on branding, advertising, interactive and traditional design projects that not only look great, but perform well in the marketplace.

Sharif Ewees, founder, 28 Media
While studying at Clemson University and working part-time in a graduate computer lab, a professor handed Sharif a dog-eared HTML manual and asked him to build a web site. Granted, that first web site was a complete monstrosity... but Sharif was hooked. Over the next year, he dove in head first and soon landed a web internship in Clemson’s Publications and Marketing Department. After completing his Masters in Professional Communication, Sharif moved to Richmond and gained five years of experience with companies ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to small, specialized ad agencies, before starting 28 Media in 2005.

Patrick Bozeman, founder and project manager,
LeadFoot Designs
Patrick graduated from Pace University in Pleasantville, New York with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. After spending time working in both Japan and the U.S., Patrick quickly found his passion in the world of marketing and design. His love of creative design coupled with his desire to cultivate meaningful business relationships has helped set the framework for LeadFoot Designs.

Angeline Robertson & Charlie Foley, founders,
Scout Design
Scout Design is a design studio established in 2002 by Angeline Robertson and Charley Foley. Their portfolio includes projects for commercial, educational, cultural and art related clients. They help people figure out what they need to say, and they use design as a means of clarifying, illuminating, but never overwhelming the message. Scout Design is founded on the belief that good design should be transparent, accessible and engaging.

The event will be moderated by Ansel Olson, founder of Ansel Olson Design, with a question-and-answer session following the discussion.

Don’t forget to bring your lunch!