Meet Kirsten Delpinal | Owner & Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kirsten Delpinal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kirsten, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is to not be afraid of failure. I dreamed of starting my own business for years before I actually started taking steps toward making that dream a reality because I was so afraid that I would fail. Even though I had mastered my craft, there was so much that I didn’t know about running a business and I was afraid that if I tried and it didn’t work out, that I would be deemed “a failure”.

I finally reached a point where my fear of regret overcame my fear of failure. I knew that if I never gave it a chance, I’d regret not knowing what could have been.

At first, I was constantly terrified of making mistakes or not knowing how to do something. But over time, I realized that every time I put myself in a situation where I didn’t immediately have all the answers, that’s when I learned the most.

I started to take on challenging design projects on purpose because I knew I would either figure it out and have learned a new skill, or I’d learn that I never want to take on a project like that again. I learned that failure isn’t really failure when you learn something from it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started Creative Eye Designs in 2018 with the goal in mind that I would someday be fully self-employed. At the beginning, I had my sights set on designing wedding and event invitations and materials.

But what I’ve always loved about graphic design is that it is needed in just about every industry in some capacity. At its core, it’s really just about using visual methods to solve problems in communication. With that, I decided that I wanted to expand my services so that I could use my creative eye to help people with all kinds of graphic challenges.

It’s that variety and ability to help others that drives me every day. In the same week, I can be helping a new small business design a logo, helping a non-profit create infographics to get the word out about their purpose, and helping an established business re-design their website. My main design services include logos, marketing materials, basic websites, and event invitations, as well as photography and illustration, but I’m always open to any graphic challenge that comes my way!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would love to share all the great local restaurants and shops that Akron has to offer. Northside is one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon. In just one square block, you can have a delicious meal at Luigi’s or Nomz, grab a drink or some dessert, and shop for locally made goods at Northside Marketplace or Northside Cellar.

I’d also want to share as much of Akron’s art scene as possible. We’d have to check out the Akron Art Museum, attend an event at Summit Artspace, and explore all the beautiful public murals our city has to offer.

Last but not least, we’d have to spend some time in the Summit Metro Parks. I particularly love The Gorge and The F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by so many supportive and encouraging people, many of whom are my fellow Torchbearers. While I’d love to list out every wonderful human being who has been part of my journey to where I am today, I’m hopeful that you all know who you are and know how much your love and support has meant to me. That said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give one special shoutout to my shockingly supportive husband and best cheerleader, Byron Delpinal. He’s been there since the first day I vocalized my dream of starting my own business and his constant encouragement and unwaivering belief in me has been critical to my success.

Website: https://www.creativeeye.design

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativeeyedesignsakron/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenedelpinal

Facebook: https://facebook.com/creativeeyedesignsakron

Image Credits
Creative Eye Designs