Meet Dominique Barnes of Tote Bag Creative Studio in Westminster

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dominique Barnes.

Dominique, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m a Graphic Designer and Art Director, who has been doing work for local, national, and global brands for the last nine years. Over the last year, my work life had become pretty fast-paced, and once the pandemic hit, I, like many others, was forced to slow down. In that slow down, I had time to re-evaluate how I was choosing to spend my precious time.

Like most graphic designers, I was already doing work on the side — helping friends and family with whatever projects they needed help with. But this past spring, I decided to give some focus and purpose to this side hustle. So I began to create Tote Bag Creative Studio, a small design studio run by me, with the core business focus of brand identity design and the design of other brand assets for clients who are helping make the world a kinder place.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Well, I’ve only just stepped onto the road, but so far, it has been fairly smooth.

I’m definitely experiencing the same things any budding entrepreneur experiences — adjusting to doing all parts of the job alone, having the confidence to charge a fair price for the work, and just figuring out how to operate the business.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Tote Bag Creative Studio story. Tell us more about the business.
Tote Bag Creative Studio is a small, independently run design studio created by Dominique Barnes, a Graphic Designer and Art Director with nine years of experience working for local, national, and global brands.

I started Tote Bag because I care about making the world better for all of us, now and in the future. The pandemic is bringing into sharper relief the cracks present in our society. I’m not a doctor, a lawyer, a politician, or a scientist (and I don’t want to be) so it took me a while to figure out how I could work to repair those cracks. Graphic design is what I’m good at, so I formalized my side hustle to use my skills as a designer to help uplift others who are doing this work. I want to help empower disenfranchised communities, encourage people to be accepting of themselves and others, and try to encourage sustainable living.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
My business is so new, but luck has definitely played a role. Luckily enough, I attract friends with similar mindsets. So far, my friends have been my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.totebagcreativestudio.com/
• Email: ToteBagCreativeStudio@gmail.com
• Instagram: @totebagcreativestudio

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.