Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanleigh Heelan.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Shanleigh. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always had a love for stationery and paper goods. I was a pretty creative person growing up and new I wanted to pursue a career doing something artistic. I graduated from Massachusetts College of Art + Design in 2013 with a BFA in Graphic Design.
Soon after, I married my best friend and high school sweetheart and dove into a year’s worth of wedding planning. For years, I had kept an idea in my mind (and on Pinterest) of what I wanted my invitations to look like, but there’s something about designing for yourself that is so much harder than for a client. I wanted to make sure that they were the perfect reflection of our personalities and really conveyed the essence of our big day.
I had always dreamed of owning a small studio where I could create work that I was passionate about. After creating several invitations for friends and family, I decided the time was right to make things official. I launched the A&O website in 2015 with a few pre-designed collections. I have since added many more designs, launched an online shop and opened up my design services to include branding, photography, styling, and websites.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’m not sure I’d say it’s been a smooth road, but it’s definitely been a lot of fun. In the beginning, it was hard to figure out how to stand out in a pretty saturated wedding market. There was a lot to learn — how to price my work, time management, what manufacturers to work with, etc. By taking things one step at a time, you learn to figure out what’s working and what isn’t, what to change and how to do things better in the future.
I’ve been growing A&O while also working as a designer for my family’s publishing company. One of the hardest parts has been juggling both workloads, as each comes with a lot of responsibilities. It’s important to me that I do my best in both roles and push myself at all times. It’s meant a lot of late nights and working on weekends, but it’s been so worth it.
Luckily, I have a pretty amazing support system who have been there to help me along the way and push me to continue to grow. You have to go after what you really want and do what makes you happy. There is infinite joy in loving what you do.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with August & Osceola – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
August & Osceola is a boutique design studio with a focus on the art of storytelling; celebrating small businesses, passionate creatives and the newly engaged. I specialize in wedding paper goods, making sure to create pieces that feel both authentic and effortless. It’s important to me that my clients feel we’ve created stationery that their guests will envy, cherish and want to frame.
I also offer design services to help take small businesses to the next level. This includes things like logo design, packaging, photography + styling, art direction and web design. It’s my goal to help distinguish my clients from their competition by bringing a fresh perspective and a timeless design sense to the forefront of their brand.
What am I most proud of? Well, it’s a pretty cool feeling when your client sends you an email after working together about how excited they are and how perfectly you’ve brought their vision to life. My biggest “pinch me” moment was finding out that my custom address stamps were recently featured in the spring issue of the Magnolia Journal. How cool is that?!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.augustandosceola.com
- Email: shanleigh@augustandosceola.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/augustandosceola/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/augustandosceola/
Image Credit:
G. Riggieri Photography, Elizabeth LaDuca Photography, August & Osceola
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
