Meet Liz Favini | Founder & Creative Director of Flow State Design Studio

We had the good fortune of connecting with Liz Favini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liz, what do you attribute your success to?
I began my career as a graphic designer/art director, working in agencies on big brands, and yet I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. I felt like people were unable to see the heart and soul I was putting into my work. I eventually decided to take a leap of faith and go out on my own in 2016. That’s when I started a boutique branding agency called Flow State Design Studio. I wanted to use my artistic talent to help people make an impact through their own businesses and I wanted my artwork to touch people’s hearts. My mission was for my work to have purpose and meaning.

When I first started my business I primarily designed restaurant branding, which I love. Having worked in the industry all through art school, I knew first hand what customers experienced and how every element of branding contributes to the overall dining experience. From there, I organically started to get more clients.  Today I work with many different kinds of business and brands. I design full visual brand identities – logos, websites, digital and printed marketing materials, email blasts, style guides, social media assets, apparel, signage, art direct photoshoots…you name it, I do it! When needed, I bring on other team members as well. I collaborate with amazing and talented brand strategists, copy writers, photographers, videographers and backend developers to make sure my clients are getting the best possible service to help them launch a professional, cohesive and inspiring brand.

I believe my success comes from consistency, consistency, consistency! I worked with my coach, Bethany Daley at Action the Idea, to establish a seamless process for clients that *consistently* produces the results I desire. I learned that having my own unique creative process is what sets me apart from other designers and agencies.

The foundation of every brand I design begins by taking the time to understand their unique story. A lot of my creative process focuses on understanding who my client is, why they started/are starting their business, and who their target audience is. Designing with this information in mind allows me to really hone in on what the brand should look and feel like and who it will attract. Everything always flows and feels cohesive when there is a clear direction and authentic foundation. In every project, I take my clients on a journey. A lot of them are starting a passion project or a business that they have wanted to do for years and never had the time. I give them the same amount of love, care and passion that I would put into my own business. I am helping them design the face of their company, usually their logo or website is the first thing people see and I do not take that lightly. I love encouraging them and supporting them throughout the entire creative process. It is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.

I strongly believe the success of my business is also rooted in my own commitment to be authentic. Staying true to my own values and trusting my intuition is what led me here to day. It has cultivated some of my best work, it builds trust with my clients and it enhances the entire creative process. All of my work to date is referral-based. To me, that is the greatest compliment and continues to make my business thrive!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My artwork is a culmination of 15 years of experience with a solid foundation in fine arts. Studying fine arts in art school is what allowed me to understand color, form, and light in a completely different way. Every creative decision I make for a client has a purpose and links back to their story, whether it’s color, typography, or the custom iconography that’s created. This is where that magic happens. It’s these authentic pieces that uniquely make up the brand and build genuine connections with viewers. Everyone’s story and brand is different and my goal is to capture the true essence of my clients.

When I create, it comes from a place of deep intuition and years of experience. I named my branding agency “Flow State Design Studio” because being “in the flow” is essentially a meditative state and incites a feeling of deep connection, pure happiness, and relaxation. It’s in this flow state that I’m able to create my best artwork and something I’ve been practicing for the duration of my career. It’s what allows me to tap into those “aha moments” and brings me some of my greatest creative ideas.

My clients can feel it too and I know that it gets them excited to work with me! I also know that it builds confidence in them as they embark on their own entrepreneurial journey. At the end of the day, all I want for my clients is to feel like they have a brand that feels authentic and that they can be incredibly proud of to share with the world.

It took years of trial and error to get to this point in my business. One task at a time, one client at a time, one day at a time. Taking what worked and what didn’t work and learning from my mistakes and my wins has been paramount. Before I knew it, I had built a successful design agency without even fully realizing it. The trick is to just start! I have big dreams on where I want to go with my business and so many ideas on how to grow and expand. The one thing I try to remember each day is how grateful I am for this life I get to live and how lucky I am that I get to wake up every morning and create and do what I LOVE!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting we would have breakfast at Great White, then grab coffee from Flowerboy for our drive up the coast. We would stop and have a picnic at El Matador State Beach in Malibu. I am a total beach bum, so we would spend lots of time at the beach up and down the coast. I would take them to Victoria Beach in Laguna and then we would also go watch the surfers at Manhattan Pier. We would bike or rollerblade on the bike path in Venice or go paddle boarding in the Marina. We would take my two pups for a walk down Abbot Kinney. We would have dinner at Élephante at sunset and also hit up classic westside spots like Scoppa, Gjelina, and Gjusta throughout the week. We would have wine at Venice Beach Wine and go across the street for ice cream at Jeni’s and then probably go dancing. I would plan a small get together at the beach so they could meet my amazing LA community and I would DJ with some of my friends. We would go to the Broad art museum and the Getty. We might go to a yoga class at Yoga Works in Santa Monica. We would go hiking at Temescal Canyon so they could see the view. And we might even take a quick camping trip to Joshua Tree. They would never want to leave and would know why I fell in love with this city!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My ‘Shoutout’ is dedicated to my grandmother, Ruth. She is the reason I became an artist. From as far back as I can remember she was constantly teaching me how to draw, paint, and create. She taught me the joy of seeing life through the eyes of an artist, pointing out the depth of colors, detail, and texture of everything around me. She was an elementary school art teacher, but she was more than that. Every aspect of her life was informed by her love of art; and I feel as though I share the same energy and calling. There has never been any other option for me. I sensed I would be an artist from a young age. The accomplishments I have achieved through my business, and the ways I am helping people achieve their dreams with my creativity and artwork, I believe wholeheartedly that my grandmother would be really proud of me.

I also dedicate a Shoutout to my mom and dad for always supporting my decision to be an artist. They allowed me to be me, and to follow my dreams, and I cannot thank them enough. I would not be where I am today without the love and support of my family.

Also, the books ‘Big Magic’ by Elizabeth Gilbert and ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle have had profound effects on my life and career. Knowing that I can do anything I put my mind to, be grateful for what I have, always think positive thoughts and follow those intuitional pulls, will always point me in the right direction.

Website: https://flowstatedesignstudio.com/
Instagram: @flowstate_designstudio