Hi all,

I just noticed that this thread moved up again and thought I'd update you.

I reviewed the sites of two recommended designers. Both showcased work that I liked, so I contacted each. Then the next day, a VA I've worked with on totally unrelated projects before showed up in my weekly LinkedIn update email as having new portfolio items. I clicked the link expecting to see some of her desktop publishing work (which is what I know her for) and to my surprise discovered she's recently started doing graphic design and will be opening a second business for it! The portfolio was impressive, so I contacted her, too.

As it turns out, one of the first two I contacted never answered my email at all. The other was having server problems and as a result didn't get back to me until later in the week. She was as professional and knowledgeable as I could have hoped, but by then I'd already contracted with my VA friend.

I was very impressed with her work. Her total turnaround time (what I originally wanted to get a feel for when I started this thread), from concept to final design, was about a week. She took my basic idea and produced eight or ten different mock-ups. I especially liked two of them and asked her to include elements of each plus a couple other minor tweaks. The final is the logo you see on my site now.

I found her easy to work with and so, so understanding. I had a couple of (probably stupid) questions about file formats and who needed what resolution for what purpose, all of which she addressed expertly and without talking down to me, which I appreciate immensely.

I would be more than happy to recommend her--PM me if you'd like to know more.

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AnnaLisa Michalski, Sunny Words Writing Services