Elizabeth Howard
Age: 41
Title: Principal/Sign Jedi, Lola Red Design Group Inc. (San Luis Obispo, CA)
After work: She loves to refinish furniture and to sew costumes – particularly for cosplay and
Renaissance fairs – with unconventional materials.
Quote to know: “I kept getting bigger jobs, and next thing I know they’re writing checks out to ‘Little Lola Red,’ so it really pushed me to the next step to get the business banking accounts, insurance and take it from freelancing at home and build it bigger. It’s a cute little name, but as far as marketing goes, people don’t forget it.”
Elizabeth Howard and Lola Red Design Group Inc.’s work is so well-respected, even the competition occasionally wants in. Howard and her fun-loving team are happy to help. “We have a lot of work that comes in from other design agencies. So, sometimes other design firms are our competitors, and other times they are collaborators with us,” Howard said. “There’s a fine line trying to build your reputation, so people understand you have integrity and that you’re not out to pinch their clients. You’re just here to work with them.”
Howard’s design background is extensive: She went to school for fashion design; learned graphic design, production and sales working in various print shops; did decorative painting; and sharpened her design skills at a magazine. In 2009, she was ready to start Lola Red (the name is derived from Howard’s teenage nickname), even though she had a six month old and the country was in the midst of the Great Recession. “Because that’s the best thing to do, to start a business in 2009 with a newborn,” Howard said with a laugh and tinge of sarcasm.
Many of Lola Red’s clients are start-ups or are rebranding, so whether it’s logo work or print marketing materials or signage for the brick-and-mortar shop or a car wrap – or all four – Lola Red is capable. (Labels, decals, trade show banners and even wedding invitations are also on the menu.) Aesthetics are always at the forefront for Howard. She seeks out talented designers and then initiates them in the way of signmaking, teaching them how to make banners, to bleed vinyl and to correctly set up vehicle wraps with the idea of visual appeal meeting practicality. “It can be beautiful, Howard explained, “but it needs to be legible, too.”
Howard believes Lola Red’s light-hearted atmosphere plays a role in her company’s success. “People come to us because we’re fun. We make things easy for them. Instead of making them feel inadequate, we make it fun,” Howard said. “We have a good time around here. Sometimes I think that does set us apart from our competitors; the attitude here is very different.”