Meet ANNA UMANA | Graphic & Webb Designer

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

Hi ANNA, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
My favorite affirmation is “be brave”; being brave is one of the hardest things a person can be, especially for me. Because if you are like me and afraid of failure, you will not want to be brave. Being brave to me means taking risks and sometimes you must take the risk to be successful. You must be brave in order to achieve a dream.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a freelance graphic & web designer. My freelance career really took off at the height of the pandemic because I was laid off from work. I came up with the concept of Anna U Designs. Freelancing was and still is not a simple thing. It has not been a smooth road for me. Because I am self-taught in graphic design, getting noticed is difficult because there are many people doing what you do. It’s a constant struggle of telling yourself you are good enough. Since the pandemic has slowed down, I noticed a shift from smaller businesses wanting to hire to larger companies wanting to hire now and for longer periods of time, which is a good thing. Going into business for yourself is a daunting experience. What I learned is that you should really do your research and figure out what’s right for you. What I want people to know about my brand is that I’m geared towards helping smaller businesses but all sizes are welcome.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Believe it or not, there are still some things I have not seen or done in the city where I live so I would take the person sightseeing. We would take a tour bus around the city.
I’d also do a helicopter tour as well. There is not like seeing the city from the sky, at least that’s what I’ve been told.
I like museums, so I’d take them to the 9/11 Museum and Memorial tour, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Ice Cream, and the American Museum of Natural History.
I’d take them to the botanical garden In Brooklyn or NYC.
I’d take them to broadway to see the popular plays/musicals.
We go to Korea and China town because you can always find good spots to eat.
We’d get bubble tea from the top spots like Tidal Tea, Motea Garden, Tiger Sugar, If Chá and Gong Cha.
I’d also take them to Kingston Tropical Bakery because they make the best beef patties in the Bronx.
We’d go to city island for seafood and Coney Island just because of The Warriors.
I’d take my friend to try the escape room and to see Madame Tussauds wax museum.
Oh, and cold stones to get ice cream
42nd Street Times Square at night because the lights look amazing at night.
For drinks and food I’d google the best bars and basically bar hop so we can experience the best drinks NYC has to offer. Same with food. We go to a different restaurant each night after a long day of sightseeing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Anpu Security Services was one of the first major companies that trusted me to work with them while gaining experience.

Website: annaudesigns.com

Image Credits
Maverick Flood and Anna Umana