The Designer

Hi, welcome to my studio. I’m Shanna Blasingame; designer, graphic artist, photographer and website developer, with many years of experience. I’ve worked on all types of design projects that require knowledge of marketing, economics, communication, computer coding and much more. I’ve become somewhat of an expert researcher since each new business brings a new set of information to absorb. In this business you get to be a quick study, on many subjects.

I began as a graphic artist / production artist in the early 90s professionally, but learned to code in C+ when computers first came out in the 80s, then later in college as well; and in both cases learned it fast and then tutored the others. It just stuck.

Developing websites is pretty fast paced changing set of skills and you can never quit learning. Social media has to factor in now, we have a split second focus span, and it is just a super highway of images and information blasting us from all directions.

The principles of marketing are the same, though.
It’s a more complex web but to break it down as simply as possible, my goal is to help you:
Identify and Reach your target audience,
Deliver your message creatively and effectively,
Entice your customers to react (call to action),
Within your means (stay in budget).

That last one is where some creative thinking really comes in handy.

I have assistance with more complex computer coding, illustrations, and writing when it’s called for, but most of the websites, ads and other pieces are written by me personally.

My A-Typical Studio
I’m an active, outdoorsy, nature loving, adventure seeking dog loving hiker, and being inside a building with no way to see outside was so unnatural for me. So was working 60-80 hours a week for the same salary and those expectations made me seek my own path. I need balance. One year while employed at a very large ad agency in Station Square, a vacation to Alaska planted a seed. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, then ending up working in downtown Pittsburgh, nature was winning my heart, not the hustle bustle, been there, did that. In childhood weekends were spent traveling and in campgrounds which always appealed to me, and now as technology keeps speeding everything up the need to relax is bigger than ever!

Now I live in a more rural area with nature outside of my windows, with my dogs underfoot, and free to work in the place where I feel creative. When the well is dry, or ideas aren’t coming, it’s time to take off for the trails or my wooded backyard. Walk, think, move and get the blood flowing, play with the dogs, breathe fresh air, feel grateful, rejuvenated and miraculously when I get back to my office there is a reboot of creative juices. I believe in working with nature, not against it and that includes not being on a regimented time clock. Any artist gets this.

Background: On the Job Training
Software was not taught to me in college, that was all hands-on learning, working at jobs where they said “can you do this project in Freehand?” and I replied “I’ll figure it out.” That was always enough because employers didn’t know either, so Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Word, Quark, Acrobat, Excel … so many software applications over the years were learned this way. Some that aren’t here any longer like FrameMaker, Pagemaker, Freehand, WordPerfect (ironic name- trust me I spent 36 hours straight on a RFP once in that and it is the worst software ever written and gone to the bin for good reason). I’ve produced numerous projects, on PCs and MACs side by side, oranges to apples, literally, before they were even compatible, converting files back and forth, ran a linotronic image output machine which required constant troubleshooting of files when they wouldn’t rip (in other words the machine froze) and it was extremely technical. This experience along with a given ability and desire to create- combining the left and right brain- turns out website development and graphic design are the perfect combo. 

I’ve had full and part time jobs in design studios and agencies, through Mac temp agencies, on site at Robert Morris State University in their marketing department as a graphic designer, and freelanced in a variety of companies for many years. Now the work is done independently completely from my home office.

Education  Why bring up education from the 1980s? Because these were the building blocks to work as a free agent, to combine all of the business and creative processes that it takes to remain successful, not only for myself, but in service of others to help obtain their marketing goals also, with a good grasp on the whole picture, not just the fun design stuff.

Bachelors in Business Administration: East Texas State University (now called Texas A&M Commerce) Fine art with an advertising minor, learning from adjunct professors (working professionals in their fields) in Dallas ad agencies:  illustrators, designers, art directors who were employed held classes right in the big major Dallas agencies. We got to see some legends in the ad field. We drew logos, get this – by hand with a pencil and used press type lettering and pantone paper sheets to create a brochure. We learned the basics of design without help from a computer. A very fortunate thing as it turns out, to learn design principles with no desktop help. After going through most of the Art and Advertising classes, I switched majors to Business Administration, a complete 180. 

Hot Designs was established in 2003.

In 2020 I had some time (and the need) like a lot of us, to find another source of income. Over the last few years I’ve organized the thousands of photos I’ve taken around the Laurel Highlands, and started a second business. Bear Rocks Designs making greeting cards, wall art, stickers, yard signs, natural sprays and other nature driven things.