locationChicago, IL

Nic Ilieff

Full Design and Strategy Assets for Small Businesses
Digital BrandLink
linkdigitalbrandlink.com

About me

I offer seamless, effective, and full design and strategy assets to small businesses, allowing them to eliminate the back and forth between marketing and creative teams. Instead of having two teams to create a brand, I do both, which saves them time and money. Since I handle all aspects of the branding, I can ensure that everything is on-brand.

My roles and specialties

Brand Designer

Marketing Strategy, Logo Design, Brand Book

Web Designer

Graphic Design, Wordpress, Web Hosting

Marketing Strategist

Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing, Video Design

What is your primary focus as an independent professional?

I primarily focus on branding and web design for small businesses, but I also offer social media management, digital marketing, and graphic design.

What makes you uniquely special?

I offer a variety of services rather than focusing on just one aspect of digital marketing. Having expertise in web design, graphic design, and branding makes me more well-rounded than other freelancers. It has allowed me to gain a fuller understanding of what small businesses need to stand out online.

How do you keep the creative fires burning?

I’m always searching for new ideas and following several design blogs to stay in touch with recent trends. I also believe that having creative friends is essential. My creative community and I bounce ideas off each other, which helps me stay connected and relevant. I also believe in staying on top of new technologies and regularly take courses.

Why do you love doing what you do?

I love letting my creativity out and meeting new people from all over the world. I also work with people from various industries, including doctors, lingerie companies, and bloggers. Creating a brand for a business in an industry I haven’t worked in before helps keep me on my toes. 

Have you always been independent? What has your career trajectory been?

Until 2018, I always had a full-time job and freelanced on the side. I worked as a creative director for a restaurant group and later as a digital media marketing director for an online virtual assistant company.


The balance of full-time job and freelancing changed in waves until I decided in 2018 that I wanted to commit to opening my own small business.

How do you continue to grow your professional skills?

Every day, I visit Product Time in Beta List, which has many resources that connect me with other designers and people interested in new technology trends. I also try to stay on top of new technologies, like new Adobe options or updates, with courses from Udemy.

Who are some of the clients you have worked with?

I’ve worked with clients from a wide range of industries. Besides doctors and the lingerie company, I have worked with many bloggers, a travel company, a copywriting service, and a home health care service. I prefer working with a wide range of industries, and I’m always happy to work with a new one.

What is the most significant (to you) project you have worked on?

In about eight months, I did a complete rebranding for a travel company that specialized in vacations to Greece. This involved creating new art, reinventing their logo, redesigning their website, making a brand book, and overhauling their entire marketing strategy. This project was the first time I’d taken on an entire re-haul. Before this, I had logos for one client and digital marketing for another but hadn’t done a cohesive, complete rebranding for someone.

What does the perfect job look like to you?

Running my own business is my dream job, but I would love to scale it up and hire staff. I love doing complete rebrands, but I also enjoy building business brands from scratch. Seeing a company that you’ve built from the ground-up excel is wonderful.

What kinds of projects are you open to?

I’m open to any projects that require my specialties, like digital marketing, social media management, or web design. Working with new industries is always exciting and fun, and as long as the job fits my talents, I’m happy to take it.

Contact me

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