How I Became A Showit Web Designer

From backpacker to graphic designer to brand & Showit web designer – here’s my journey.

01. The Eager Learner

2019

I had been traveling the world after graduating high school, and I always loved life on the road, but having to stop to save money before I could travel again was getting tiring. 

Back in Estonia, working as an admin at a small boutique hotel, I was scrolling through Instagram when an ad for a graphic design course caught my eye.

I’d always been drawn to graphic design, but I assumed the only way to become a designer was with a university degree. Seeing that online course, though, was the first time I felt an inkling that times had changed.

I never actually took their course – as I was saving money for my next travels – but it lit the path for me to start learning all about design on my own. I dove into theory and tackled Adobe design programs head-on.

As I always learn best through practice, I gave myself a challenge: create a digital planner from scratch. I learned InDesign by creating the layout, and Illustrator to create custom stickers for it.

It turned out well, and I decided to open up an Etsy store to sell them and generate some passive income. Of course, I needed branding and graphics for the shop, so naturally… I designed those too.

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02. Studio Loora

End of 2019

Not much thought went into the name, other than using the English pronunciation of my name and dragging out the O’s to make it slightly more interesting than just using Laura.

Era of “I have no design style of my own yet, so let’s create what’s trending”. 

Though, to be honest, back then I did really enjoy that style. I was all about the boho vibe, rusty red, and abstract illustrated elements.

The time when everyone was wearing those boho hats in their brand photos – If I had had a photoshoot in that phase, I definitely would’ve done the same.

First mood board and logo sketches

I was really just winging it and trying different things, honing my skills, and learning a lot.

Around that time, I invested in my first proper course (Branding With Bre by Rowan Made). That course taught me so much about branding, strategy, pre-work that goes into it, how to frame the entire process, exporting assets, and more. It was honestly invaluable.

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03. Canva And A Dream

Early 2020

I’m honestly quite impressed with myself that, as a total newbie to design, I started using Canva after learning Adobe programs. 

To expand my Etsy shop and offer more variety, I started creating Canva templates for online business owners. Templates for Instagram feed posts and stories, Pinterest pins, workbook pages, and even slides for workshops and media kits.

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04. The Shift

2020

My Etsy shop was doing really well, and I started receiving messages from business owners, asking if I do custom work. 

This showed me that people liked my design style, and I could really do something with this. 

I knew I needed to create a website to start offering custom packages. I had no idea what I would offer exactly, but I was gonna figure that out in the process.

But first, it was time to come up with a proper business name and create the branding asset

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05. The First Spark

2020

This time, I took the time to come up with an aligned business name that I’m proud to say out loud. There were a lot of very basic options on the list, but one day SoulKynd sprung to mind, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. 6 years later, I still love it!

I created all the brand assets for it: logo variations, illustrations, custom patterns, and textures, curated a color palette, and a type suite. It was all very boho vibes.

I also took my own brand photos with my Sony Alpha a6000 camera. I wonder where that is now..

With all the visual components, I created the wireframe and then needed a platform to bring it to life! I tried Squarespace first, but got quickly frustrated, cause I wasn’t able to bring my vision to life there. I jumped ship after a day of trying.

Then I stumbled upon the Showit platform, and voilà! Did some dragging and dropping, and got the exact design I had envisioned. I was immediately in love with the platform, and as a wonderful surprise, web design in general! I loved the process of designing a whole website from scratch and building it myself. There’s something so special about that. Especially building a home for someone else’s art.

Create an account (& get a free 14-day trial + 30 days with code SOULKYND) and try out Showit for yourself with my free 1-page website template and canvas pack.

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06. Design Studio & Template Shop

From August 2020

As mentioned before, I wasn’t quite sure what services I would offer on my new site, but since I loved the whole process of creating my own brand identity and an online home for it, those became my two packages.

I had a small account on Instagram, and when I launched my rebrand and new website on there, I got my first inquiry already a day later! My first ever client, Victoria, had searched the keyword “Showit web designer” on Instagram and found me that way. Been working with incredible creatives since then!

First client project: custom brand identity & Showit website design

With my first website, I also immediately launched a Showit template shop. This helped me hone my web design skills and have creative freedom, while offering a budget-friendly alternative to potential clients. Running my shop is still one of my favorite parts of my business, and I’ve gotten to collaborate with talented photographers to create templates inspired by their work.

My first Showit templates: “Savannah” for business coaches and “Vintage Muse” for photographers

I kept creating products for Etsy for a few years after starting SoulKynd, as it was a great source to drive traffic to my website in the first years, but eventually closed it to focus solely on my own shop.

The shop has expanded a lot over the years. I’ve now added Canva pricing guides (what a full circle moment to sell Canva templates again – this time on my own site).

For web designers, I’ve created a library of 300+ commercial-use canvases to make the design process easier and less time-consuming. My recent launch was The Code Capsule – a curated collection of 10 custom-coded Showit effects that enhance the user experience and allow you to charge premium prices for your web design projects.

Showit templates Daphne and Scarlet for wedding photographers

SoulKynd is now almost 6 years old, and I couldn’t feel prouder of everything I’ve accomplished over the years and more grateful for all the people who have trusted me with their vision.

I hope this post inspires you to go after these daydreams that may seem impossible to some. But not you! I truly believe if you’re passionate about something, you’ll make it.