Meet Chon Shoaff of Design With Chon in Northwest Suburbs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chon Shoaff.

Chon, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In late 2009, I was an art director/graphic designer for a mid-sized advertising agency in the River North area of Chicago, and due to the down market at that time, a lot of agencies were closing doors as clients’ spending budgets were significantly reduced or big accounts were lost. Unfortunately, I was in one of those agencies that shut their doors. I could’ve applied to another agency job, but after being in the industry since 2004, I was at a point where I wanted to venture out and try working for myself. And that’s when Design With Chon became incorporated.

In the early years, my business’s main focus was graphic design + advertising for print and digital mediums. I developed the seasonal marketing materials and ads for the WNBA Chicago Sky and created visually, engaging email + social campaigns that touched millions of Redbox movie-watchers. In addition to these larger accounts, I nurtured the brand development of several small businesses like Pure Dental Spa which now has two retail locations — one in the Western Suburbs and the other in Chicago’s West Loop.

Then in 2012, I made a decision where my business had to take a pause. After working on the Redbox account for over a year and a half, the newly-highbred creative director saw my level of dedication and skill to my craft that he recruited me to become the senior designer and to help build a creative team that was non-existent. At that time, all design work was being outsourced, and I was one of their many vendors. This was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up and to be part of building a team was something that interested me.

I didn’t want to close the doors to my business, because I knew one day that my design business would be my #1 focus again. Even though I was working 40+ hours at Redbox, I selectively took on client work for my business so I could keep my creativity flourishing, and it was a nice change of pace from the corporate design environment.

My creative career was moving along nicely. In 2015, I became the Associate Creative Director at Redbox, and we had a great creative team. At that time, I thought I would be dedicated to this position for years to come, but then, Redbox underwent leadership and organizational changes that caused the creative team to be re-located from Oakbrook, IL to Los Angeles. I was offered a new position to be in L.A., but I declined. Shortly after leaving Redbox, I started a new job at Raise Marketplace as their Associate Creative Director. I worked there for over a year, but decided to leave on my own terms, because it wasn’t fulfilling my creative desires anymore.

2017 rolled around, 8 years after my business was incorporated, I knew this was the year to go back to Design With Chon. And that’s where I am at today! I rebranded my business with a new, modern logo + website and expanded my range of design services. In addition to graphic design, advertising, and invitations, I am officially promoting my interior design services for residential and commercial. I truly have a love for all facets of design, and I didn’t want to limit my creativity to just the 2-dimensional space. Clients come to me for logo + brand development, and they see that I can nurture all facets of their business including the 3-dimensional retail environment. At the end of the day, whether it’s investing in a website redesign, bespoke wedding invitation or fresh coat of paint, my mission is to bring purpose and passion to every design.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road, but I feel there are still obstacles to come. My business is definitely not done maturing. Although it has been in business since 2009, and there has been on-going client work since then, there will be more good highs and lows, and I welcome them.

In my professional career of highs and lows, I adapted, I gained + learned new skills, and I engaged with lots of wonderful people over the years. Through these changes and connections, it will only open doors to new opportunities whether it’s for my business or myself.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Design With Chon – what should we know?
Design With Chon is a specialized design studio that offers design services for Branding, Invitations + Interiors. Each of these industries are significant on their own, but I feel that I have the background and talent that bridges them together. Through my understanding of typography, color, balance, texture, and a good eye for design, I create a visual experience that captivates your audience. Whether it’s creating a visual identity for a brand, an event or an interior, I am going to elevate your brand and make sure it gets noticed.

I am proud that I can be a client’s one-stop-shop for design services, from logo conception to its digital presence on a website, and its physical representation in a retail space. I’m about building long-term relationships, and I see my clients business as a partnership. If they do well, my business does well.

There are a lot of talented individuals + business out there. However from my perspective, I feel I offer the total package from design to business sense. And if I don’t have the answer, I have a great network of trusted professionals that I can connect with. I work with my clients to figure it out and to get the job done right. Like I said before, I treat my client’s business or home as extension of mine, and I make sure no design detail gets overlooked.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I appreciate the support of my husband, family and friends. They believed in me and my passion for design. Through their connections and referrals, I gained client projects that helped me grow my business to this day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.designwithchon.com
• Phone: 630-229-7377
• Email: info@designwithchon.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designwithchon
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DesignWithChon
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/design-with-chon-bartlett
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/designwithchon/

Image Credit: Miller + Miller Photography

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