Check Out Tina Floersch’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Floersch.  

Hi Tina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Hi! My name is Tina Floersch, founder of VISUALFLO, a branding and web design-focused studio in Denver. VISUALFLO was created in 2021 after being let go from my Creative Director position at a law-firm-focused marketing firm. By embracing my personal style within my business, I inspire people to be themselves in their own brands. Most of my career has been in a corporate setting, business to business design, and marketing. But after graduating from college, I started creating branding designs, as side projects, for my friends and acquaintances who were starting their own businesses. 

I always loved pushing the envelope in design, especially working incorporate, it was a great place to start thinking about new ways to do things or display information in a setting where change isn’t always accepted right away. So, I had to become more creative and resourceful within a lot of the diverse projects I was presented with. How can I make something that still appeals to the older generations but brings a new perspective and dips into a bolder way of thinking about B2B design? 

I kept trying new things until I got a “yes”. 

For a long time, I thought I needed to look a certain way in my business in order to “look professional”, but as I got older, I realized that people are out here doing whatever they want to do with their own businesses, both good and bad (yikes) so, why can’t I?! 

I felt like there wasn’t a place for me to be both professional and bold, I felt like there wasn’t a place for someone like me, so I decided to create one for myself. Hence VISUALFLO was born so I could express my love for bold, colorful designs and also help people with their own businesses. 

The best part? Once I stepped into my true self, I started to find that I was attracting other designers and colleagues that felt the same way! 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
VISUALFLO is actually the second business that I have started. My first business, Tina Floersch Design & Photography (what a mouthful, Haha) was created while I was in college and continued throughout my corporate design career. 

It was my way of exploring the different types of creative work that I had become fascinated with. 

I took on branding projects, mostly just one-off logo designs, but I loved it. 

I started getting involved with photography through the music industry in Minneapolis, I learned how to work with people in a more creative setting and I loved the fast-paced environment, as well as the editing process. 

Once I moved from Minnesota to Colorado in 2017, I established my first LLC and became full-time self-employed for the very first time in my life. Looking back, I could have done things a lot differently. But hindsight is 20/20, right? 

I was living paycheck to paycheck and filling in the gaps in my savings account. I took a lot of work just to get paid, whether I liked it or not. I even took on a couple of corporate clients on a contract basis because it was what I was comfortable doing at the time. I was living in a scarcity mindset, taking on certain projects to “get exposure” but I ended up under-charging and overworking myself in the end. 

I wanted to get more branding and web design clients, but I didn’t have enough experience or confidence at the time to truly pursue that type of work. Until I was approached by a marketing firm in Denver. They had found my Dribble portfolio with my recent digital collage collection and wondered if I would be interested in applying for their web designer position. I quickly fell in love with the job, but not the setting, lack of flexibility, rigidity & or creative constraints I was under. 

I told them that I didn’t have any experience building websites but they responded with, “well, it’s easy to teach someone the basics of building websites, it’s harder to teach someone to be creative”. 

After I was let go, I found myself truly questioning who I enjoyed working for, what & how I worked on creating & nurturing projects, but most of all, I regained my energy & focused on what I truly loved. 

I was faced with what I truly wanted in my career, which was to be in control of my creative process & business. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a branding and web designer that specializes in helping small businesses create bold, impactful brands. I take a holistic and spiritual approach to my life and my business. 

I am the proudest of where this new business has taken me, the new challenges, and above all else, the community that I have surrounded myself with this time around. 

What sets me apart is that I am not afraid to stand out. I would describe myself as a spiritual, bold, confident, edgy designer who is not afraid to use color, break the mold and help you embrace your true self through your business. 

I love breaking the norm and incorporating new tech into brands, such as QR codes. 

As I have grown within my business, I have also realized that I still very much enjoy photography, more specifically portrait + product photography. It’s another outlet for my creative self to be free and add to a business’ value. At the same time, product photography works hand in hand with branding & website design, so a win-win as they say. 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Part of my new adventure this past year has also included teaming up with another graphic designer out here, Kailee Nauman of Eclectic Designs Co. Together, we created the Eclectic Visuals University (www.eclecticvisualsuniversity.co). Where we are building a community for designers to come together, learn what being an entrepreneur is for them, and discuss with them, in detail, trade secrets & tips you don’t learn in design school, for example, inclusivity & diversity in design. 

We want to provide a community of people who support and learn from each other, while being inclusive and ready to feel empowered, break down social barriers & be unapologetically themselves whether as a freelancer or working in a corporate setting. Our main focus has been ensuring we work in an equity-focused manner supporting LGBTQ+ and the BIPOC community, always ensuring we are inclusive of others, and their needs, and at the same time, being aware of privilege bias. 

We are ready to have those hard conversations about race, social structures, finances & truly equal opportunities for those who haven’t had the chance. And with that in mind, bringing guest speakers to offer their insights & knowledge and open those conversations up. 

Kailee and I want to use this platform to give back to the community we found within the design and be a knowledgeable support system for those who are ready to dive into this creative environment. This is close to our hearts and we are very excited for what’s to come. 

Contact Info:

• Email: tina@visualflo.co
• Website: visualflo.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visualflo.co
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/eclecticvisualsuniversity 

Image Credits
Tina Floersch
Marisa Claire