Monica Yother of MY Designs: What Happens When A Traditional Artist Turns Graphic Designer

Monica Yother DesignsThe old adage, “Find what you love to do, and you’ll never work a day in your life” applies to MY Designs owner Monica Yother. From Huntsville’s Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, Monica is hard at work in Studio 114—she might interject “hard at play”—helping start-ups with their brand identities, refining existing brands and marketing strategies, something she’s been doing since 1987, and in her spare time, using her artistic talent to support non-profit organizations.

“There are many similarities between making art and crafting a design strategy,” she explained. When she first sits down with her clients, she discerns their company’s personality and the market they’re trying to reach, identifying appropriate typefaces and imagery. “Whether my clients are business-to-business or consumer facing, we look at the bigger picture together. We interpret their visual designs to create one cohesive message, so that the customers they’re trying to reach will understand it at a glance.”

Monica is hard-pressed to qualify her perfect client, as she has “so many awesome clients,” including the recent food truck client she helped design their logo and visual branding, but she has a soft spot for the non-profits she supports—the Huntsville Ballet, a local horse rescue in Huntsville, and any non-profits related to horses or the arts. “My favorite things to paint have always been dance and equine art. I paint in acrylics, oils, watercolors and pastels. I do some mixed media, as well.”

In addition to her marketing, creative director and graphic design work, Monica has a separate business called “My Horses Art” where she hosts painting parties for non-profits to fundraise, kids’ birthday parties and for corporate team-building events. She donates 15% of those earnings to the aforementioned Huntsville horse rescue.

In much the way adult coloring books have become wildly popular as a relaxing way to tap into buried creativity, so have the group painting events. “I recently had a dental practice do a team-building exercise here,” she recounted. Her 20’ x 24’ studio accommodates up to 18 people, but her typical group is 10 to 12 painting enthusiasts. “My focus is on creative fun. Everyone walks away with something they’ve painted that is completely different from their neighbor. As for the birthday parties, parents often tell me, ‘This is the quietest kids’ birthday party I’ve ever had!’” she added with a laugh.

Monica’s future plans include growing her one-on-one training workshops. For a $150 fee, she gives two hours of her time teaching people the basics of Photoshop, InDesign, social media graphics, blogging, WordPress and more. “I had one client who needed a book cover, and together, we designed it in two hours. My workshops are economical for business people who need to learn how to do something…we actually work on their project.”

For more information on Monica and her services, please call her at 256-520-4134 or visit her websites as follows:

  • MyHorsesArt.com (for painting parties, birthday parties and fundraisers)
  • MonicaYother.com (for commissioning original paintings)
  • My-designs.net (for graphic design, websites, branding, marketing strategy and booking her 2-hour workshops)