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When I was a little girl, my mom would make wedding cakes. (Bear with me here.) I remember watching her as she carefully measured out the right ingredients and frosted each cake very carefully, making sure to get the portioning on the ingredients just right. Every cake, though, when it was done, was different and decorated in its own special way.
One day recently when I was reminiscing, it suddenly hit me: that’s actually what I do now. I make logo ‘cakes’ – I make website ‘cakes’! It’s important to get the ‘science’ of the ingredients just right, but it’s just as important to make each one special, beautiful, and like no other. So I take my understanding of the basic essentials that need to be present in any design (be it a logo, a brochure, or a website), but then I blend them together and apply them in a way that’s specifically right for you. No templates. Just a completely customized design that accurately reflects your business.
Each ‘cake’ is different in its own special way, a perfect blending of science and art.
The pay-off for you? You get to share who you are with the people that matter, without saying a word. Want to pinpoint everything that’s special, different and (frankly) awesome about your business? Find out more about working with me.
Even more about me: When I’m not designing, I love going on driving adventures to cozy, quaint towns around New England. Or you can often find me curled up with a book and a tasty mocha at one of my favorite Rhode Island cafés.
Oh, in case you don’t parlez le Français (no judgment here), atelier is French for studio. And LKS? They’re my initials.
My Recent Work + Blog Posts
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Gathering 10 sharp minds from different industries at the Mastermind Supper Club brought up some of the best conversations I’ve had in a long time! 🧠✨
One moment of brilliance: Ed Shea looked up the definition of "trust" and shared how it shares the same Latin root with "truth"—fides—which also means faith and confidence. It was a perfect reflection of our night!
We explored how transparency, empathy, and integrity all play a role in building trust. Bill Cameron shared some awesome recommendations for great eats in Rhode Island and talked about why Chile is a must-visit country (love the balance between work and life!). Gary Rinder brought his expertise on startup advising and leadership, showing how trust fuels successful ventures. Ted Williams talked about how transparency with clients strengthens relationships, while April Williams shared some brilliant insights on leadership and sales.
Huge thanks to Bob Harvey for capturing the best questions from the evening.
Trust is central to my work, too, as I help brands use design to communicate authenticity and reliability. Can’t wait for the next one!
#TrustBuilding #SalonCulture #MastermindSupper #TruthAndTrust #VisualLanguage #LeadershipAndDesign #FractionalCreativeDirector
💼 Reflecting back on my time as CultureCraft’s Fractional Creative Director, I’m reminded how much impact a clear brand vision can have on growth. Working alongside CEO Nick Richtsmeier was an amazing experience; his unique mix of analytical insight and creative drive made for a productive collaboration.
Here’s a glimpse of what we accomplished together:
🌟 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆: Nick’s vision needed a streamlined and elevated design direction. Together, we crafted a unified brand style that was consistent, polished, and professional.
🎯 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀: We reimagined his messaging for sales decks and one-sheets, making the content accessible and the visuals on-brand. Now, sales meetings hit the ground running.
📊 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: CultureCraft`s charts and diagrams didn’t just get a facelift—they became more intuitive, adding clarity and impact to their presentations.
🌐 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Brought cohesive brand design to CultureCraft`s website, ensuring everything looked and felt like one unified voice.
Reflecting on projects like this reminds me why I love what I do—cheers to CultureCraft’s journey and future growth!
#branding #creativedirection #growth
Trust in business isn’t just a buzzword—it’s everything. 🌟
At my recent Mastermind Supper Club, 10 incredible leaders gathered to share their experiences on how trust shapes their industries. Katie Burkhart reminded us of the importance of doing what you say and owning it when things go wrong, while Ed Shea shared how empathy is key to earning trust.
As a fractional creative director, my work is all about building that trust through the visual language of a brand. Grateful to have these brilliant minds helping me dive deeper into this essential topic.
Shoutout to Bob Harvey for capturing some amazing notes from the night! 🙌
P.S. This photo was taken a few years back with my good friend and client, Katie Dickson, at her restaurant Bywater (one of my fave restaurants in the state). Props to the awesome Brittanny Taylor Photography.
#BusinessLeaders #FractionalCreativeDirector #Mastermind #TrustMatters #VisualDesign
🌲 Partnering with Sequoia Financial Group as their fractional creative director has been an exciting journey in driving brand alignment and efficiency!
Over the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Sequoia’s marketing team, streamlining their visual assets for fast turnarounds and ensuring the brand stays strong and consistent across all touchpoints.
For Sequoia’s advisors, I’ve also optimized sales decks and marketing collateral, giving their team back valuable time to focus on what they do best: connecting with clients and growing relationships. Since this collaboration began, Sequoia has achieved some incredible milestones—adding $6 billion to assets under management, growing their team by 80, and expanding to five new offices nationwide. 🌎
Thrilled to contribute to a team scaling with purpose and precision!
#FractionalCreativeDirector #BrandStewardship #MarketingEfficiency #GrowthJourney #FinancialServices
P.S. I couldn`t have done it without the super smart folks CultureCraft and Sharp Creative.
✨ Bringing back the lost art of the salon! ✨
A couple of weeks ago, I hosted my first-ever Mastermind Supper Club at Spain Restaurant here in Little Rhody, where I brought together a small but mighty group of business friends.
We shared ideas, enjoyed delicious food, and tackled the challenge of building trust in today’s world—both in business and our communities. From Ed Shea’s insights into emotional intelligence to Ted Williams` transparency in complex projects, the conversations were deep and impactful.
Trust, after all, is at the heart of what I do as a fractional creative director, helping brands build trust through design.
It was an inspiring evening that hit home on the power of coming together to share, learn, and build something greater than ourselves.
Here`s to more connections, more trust, and more brilliance ahead! ✨
#TrustInBusiness #MastermindSupper #BuildingTrust #VisualLanguage #FractionalCreativeDirector
A few weeks ago, I caught up with my little bro Dan, and we had a great conversation (over dinner at the awesome Giusto in Newport, RI) about the joys & challenges of managing people, and how you’re required to do more of this as you move up the corporate ladder.
It sounded like he does a brilliant job of building up his employees, and it made me realize I don’t always do enough of that with my own team. Ahem... There’s an uncomfortable beauty in being stretched beyond your comfort zone, but it’s necessary if you want to grow.
This applies not just to managing teams but also to building trust with clients. As my business has evolved, I’ve been working to carve out a unique space in design - a space that focuses on building trust for brands that depend on it. Whether it’s managing people or managing brand perception, the same rule applies: growth and trust go hand in hand, and both require stepping into the discomfort.
If you’re in a high-trust industry like finance, enterprise tech, or higher education, building trust in your brand’s visual language is critical - and I’m here to help steward that trust.
Let`s build it together.
#leadership #businessgrowth #designthinking #trust #visualcommunication
What `The Boaters vs. The Mer-People` taught me about business:
Back in August, I took my nieces & nephews to camp in Maine. My husband was out there with them, playing a game of "The Boaters vs. The Mer-People" with the canoe and kayaks. I sat on the dock, laughing so hard at their antics (and the silly brilliance of that game name), that I`m sure I lost a few pounds.
But I couldn`t help thinking I should be out there playing with them. What was stopping me? Fear of not having a cool enough name for my battle character? Not looking like Heidi Klum in my bathing suit?
It got me thinking about how often we hold ourselves back — not just in play but in business, too. How many times do we sit on the sidelines, doubting our readiness, worrying about being perfect before we take action?
I`ve been steering my design services a new direction for a while now — creating a unique approach centered around fostering trust for high-ticket businesses. But I`ll be honest, putting my value into words has been a challenge. It feels big and a little daunting, but the key is showing up anyway. Trust isn`t just what I build for my clients; it’s also what I’m building in myself.
So here’s the lesson: Whether it`s on a lake or in business, stop waiting for "perfect" and dive in. The water`s fine — and the possibilities are endless.
Want to see how I’m helping businesses foster trust through design?
Let’s connect!
htps://atelierlks.com/creative-director-partnership
I had a fantastic brainstorming coffee date with my friend Grace Maguire, who’s a biotech marketing and communications maven. We talked about how engineers often create sales content that’s… well, too complex for public consumption. Their deep-dive diagrams and rabbit-holey reports may resonate with internal technophiles, but from the outside, they’re clear as mud (and boooring). 😵💫
Grace and I are the type who think, “Let’s shave these 10 pages down to a few bullet points and a killer graphic.” Simplifying complex ideas is what I love doing, especially for larger companies who know they need to build trust to survive.
Are you in biotech, engineering, or another technical field? Think your sales content is astronomically amazing? Let’s see if we can’t simplify it and make it truly effective. 🧬
👉 Let’s simplify stuff together.
https://atelierlks.com/services
