Laura Morris is a creative entrepreneur specializing in branding and graphic design, but she does not think of herself as an artist.
“I don’t consider design for small businesses art,” she said. “Because art is subjective.”
The website of her creative firm, Design Aesthetic, says it was “brewed in defiance and ambition.” This hints at her journey to entrepreneurship, made by channeling both her aspirations and earning the knowledge to do so.
Morris notes that since high school, she has always wanted to start a business. As she accounts her foray into freelance photography, she also admits that road wasn’t easy.
“I am a failed business owner,” said Morris. “That was what my passion had been, what I had been trained in. So I went down the rabbit hole of starting a photography business, and it just really wasn’t going anywhere. I knew how to do photography, but I didn’t really understand the business side.”
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The photography business Morris started in her early 20s only continued to struggle and never took off, so she decided to go back to school. By this time Morris, had been a self-taught graphic designer for years, and so she studied graphic design at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla. While there, she gained the insights that she applies to her own enterprise today.
“I learned a lot about design strategy, design psychology, human psychology and using design and marketing,” said Morris. “I started to realize that all of this stuff that I’m now learning in college was so much stuff that I was missing when I decided to start a photography business.”
After earning her degree from Full Sail, Morris went through what she calls the “normal workforce type routine,” landing a job as a graphic designer. Her entrepreneurial streak got the best of her, as well as limited room for growth at her job, and she ultimately pursued going her own way again.
“I decided to take a leap of faith and start doing graphics on my own,” she said. “I started off just freelancing things, seeing if I could even attract anybody. But with all of the new skills that I learned in college, I was actually doing a lot better than I had previously.”
Morris continued her own study, taking business classes, reading business books, to catch up on the other aspects of business she didn’t learn in school. She launched Design Aesthetic in 2018, building from freelance design services to becoming a full creative agency.
Alongside graphics, Design Aesthetic offers services such as photo editing, website design, content curation and consultation. Its social media features videos of Morris speaking on marketing and branding topics. Morris passing on her creative insights to small businesses is the overall focus of the agency.
“I saw the need, in the area, of all these people with amazing small business ideas, drive and motivation,” she said. “They were just lacking understanding of the strategy in the creative aspects that can really propel them forward.”
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Morris’ drive to aid the creative potential of small businesses, she says, is part of what makes Design Aesthetic unique among creative firms. Her aim is to focus on the needs of a given business and develop a presentation that reflects its mission.
“I really sit down with a small business owner and we break it down to ‘what is the point of your business existing?’” said Morris. “Help them understand who they’re providing a service for and why, and then turning that into visuals that are just beautiful and unique to them.”
This is reflected in her views on the difference between an artist and a creative. Her aim as a creative is to use her skill to toward very particular goals, as opposed to self-expression; which is an insight she offers to entrepreneurs.
“Every good business solves a problem,” said Morris. “The more problems you solve, the more business you will have. Know exactly what problem you’re solving, and who you’re solving it for, and focus on that.”
Design Aesthetic is based in Augusta. For more information, visit its website at www.design-aesthetic.com.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering education in Columbia County and business-related topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
