330 West 38th Street,
Suite #801
New York, NY 10018
T: 212-221-7559 x222
F: 212-221-1413
lara@optimumdc.com
www.optimumdc.com
Personal Profile
Lara J. Kisielewska founded Optimum Design & Consulting in 1992 after completing a BS in Graphic Communications Management and Technology and working toward a Masters in Magazine Publication Management from NYU. Lara co-founded Linux Magazine in 1999 and VoIP Magazine in 2004, and her communications experience in technology resulted in Lara starting a second business, Xand Marketing (www.xandmarketing.com) in 2005.
Lara has been an active member of the New York Chapter of the Graphic Artists Guild since 1992. She was President of the Chapter between 2000-2004 and has held a seat on the National Board of Directors of the Guild since 1998. Lara is currently Secretary of the National Graphic Artists Guild. She was awarded New York Chapter Volunteer of the Year in 1999 and 2002, as well as National Volunteer of the Year in 2008.
Lara has also been a member of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Woman Business Owners (NAWBO-NYC) since 1992. She served on the Board of Directors as Vice Chair of Member Communications from 1996 -1999, and was elected NAWBO-NYC member of the year in 1998. Lara was President-Elect from 2002-2004 and New York City Chapter President from 2004-2005.
Lara held a seat on the advisory board of FIT from 1998-2003 and teaches a hands-on workshop called How to Start a Graphic Design Business for The Learning Annex and a variety of local colleges. Lara has also spoken at NYU and is a frequent guest lecturer at Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business.
Corporate Profile
Optimum Design & Consulting produces effective aesthetics for budget-conscious professionals. They create consumer perceptions that match their clients’ identities through striking, memorable, and effective graphic design for both print and web. Optimum is client driven, goal oriented, and offers cost-effective design and production expertise to help clients make their mark with distinction and deliberation.
But how to capture the personality of a firm comprised of extremely creative and multi-faceted people? In their personal lives Optimum employees are improv comediennes, die-hard Mets fans, chronic bloggers, actresses, Fête Masters, intrepid travelers, heart-and-soul volunteers, swing dance competitors, community organizers, and gourmet cooks. They have lived in about a dozen countries and speak multiple languages. What they bring to the office are their different points of view, their various perspectives, and their unique ways of communicating their varied experiences. As a company Optimum presents an array of hand-picked ingredients for any recipe their clients may have in mind.
Optimum Design & Consulting values collaboration, working with clients to bring their ideas and visions to life, either on paper or online. They’ve been doing it for almost 20 years. No matter who you are, or what you have in mind, if you can think of it, Optimum can create it for you, and help you get it into the hands of your prospects. Optimum never starts a piece without understanding why you asked for it. What is your target market? What are you trying to communicate? What are your competitors already saying? What makes you different?
- Branding/corporate identity
- Corporate positioning & messaging
- Logos & stationery systems
- Brochures & marketing materials
- Websites & microsites
- Folders with insert sheets
- Media kits, sales kits & press kits
- Direct mail campaigns
- Advertising (print & banner ads for web)
- Magazines (launch & ongoing production)
- Newsletters & journals
- Catalogs
- Invitations
- Signage & display
- Flyers & postcards
- Product labels
- E-mail newsletters/e-mail marketing
- Books, booklets & book jackets
- PowerPoint presentations/templates
Referral Guide
30 Second Elevator Speech
Optimum Design & Consulting has been providing graphic design for both print and web since 1992. For a start-up that means designing their logo, helping them figure out what makes them stand out from their competition, and then translating that to a website, brochure, and/or other marketing materials. For a more established business that may mean helping them keep their name in front of their clients via an e-mail marketing campaign, a direct mail campaign, or Google marketing.
Achieve your goals with a partner who knows what works. We’re your team. We’re Optimum Design & Consulting. Where expectation meets experience.
What Makes you Different/Special/Unique?
- Almost 20 years in business means a wealth of experience
- Amazingly dedicated staff with very low turnover
- Founder has deep marketing knowledge
- Specialization in magazines & publications
- Over a decade of expertise working with high-tech clients
Who is most likely to be your customer?
- A start-up business
- A business launching a new product/service
- A business that is repositioning itself
- A business having trouble with lead generation
- A marketing director at a larger firm or agency
When I am talking to someone, what should I listen for that would tell me that they may need your products or services?
- I’m starting a new company
- I hate my website/need to update my website
- I need to promote myself better/get my name out there
- I don’t know how I stand out from my competition
- My salespeople have no marketing materials