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Lynell Weeg

on being a Creative Director

Inside: a look into Owning a Small Business

9 Essentials

Every Reader Needs for the Perfect Reading Day

06

Small Town Girl, Big Ideas

Being a Creative Director with Lynell Weeg of HenkinSchultz

03

04

Marie & Marie Bridal

Owning a bridal shop in Sioux Falls

9 Essentials for the Perfect Reading Day

A look into an avid reader’s essentials

12

6 Products every From the Editor

A message from Makayla Wickman

Show Me Your Kitties CATTITUDE

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If

From Makayla

Ihave always struggled to figure out what I want to do for a career. I have always been a very goal and career-driven person. Despite being so career-driven, I have always struggled to figure out exactly what I wanted to do. I’ve gone through many phases in my life, testing out the idea of different careers. Music has been a massive part of my life. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved singing, and as a kid, I was convinced I would be a rockstar. By my junior year of high school, I could play five different instruments and was a part of every curriculum involving music.

By my junior year of high school, I was pulled in many different directions when deciding on a career and college. My music teachers, classmates, and friends tried to push me into music. However, that was not something I was interested in despite being heavily involved with music.

Along with music, I was heavily into photography. I loved seeing the world through a new lens (literally) and how beautiful everything was when you became more aware of your surroundings.

sole career would be challenging. This led me to look into jobs that worked well with photography. I often came across graphic design but was often turned off by the idea of drawing. Drawing is not something I excel at. I also love houses and interior design, so I enrolled at the University of South Dakota for Interior Design.

“I loved seeing the world though a new lense”

Although I loved music, I became very burnt out being so involved with everything. This burnout with music led me to start bouncing around the idea of going into photography. However, after further research, I found that making photography your

However, I decided I was not ready to leave home at the last minute and wasn’t even 100% certain I wanted to do interior design. I then enrolled in the community college for USD in Sioux Falls. I did my generals and decided to try Graphic Design after all. This led me to apply to Southeast Tech. Although it took a long time to decide what I wanted to do, I am delighted with where I am now and can not wait to see what I can do with graphic design after college.

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Lynell Weeg

SmallTown Girl Big Ideas

Where it began:

Lynell Weeg is from Bridgewater, South Dakota, with a population of only 800. Compared to others in the design field, Lynell hasn’t always been fond of art, especially drawing. “I was always a little frustrated with my drawings because I could never get it to look realistic enough.” Although she was frustrated with art and drawing, she was always coming up with ideas and still found beauty in the art of it.

Design was nowhere on her mind when deciding what to do in college. Lynell attended the Illinois Institute of Technology, intending to receive a degree in architecture. Her passion for ideas fueled her decision to enter architecture. “I wanted some parameters; I was wanting structure of some sort because I couldn’t operate very well with free-style drawing.”

“So, I thought, okay, I’m gonna go to school to be an architect.” However, that journey ended before it even began. After talking with her advisor about her interests, her advisor recommended she try communications instead. From that point on, she fell in love with the creative field.

Takeaways from College

Lynell loved her switch to a communications major because she felt it gave her parameters and guidelines she had to follow, which she loves. “What I love about communication arts and graphic design is there is those parameters, but then you can break the rules sometimes to do something really fun and funky. I just liked having words, images, and graphics to put together.”

working in Chicago, she returned to South Dakota to settle down and start a family. After returning to South Dakota, Lynell landed a job with HenkinSchultz, an advertising agency in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

“It has to function well, it has to communicate well, not just look pretty.”

She has been a creative director with HenkinSchultz for almost 30 years. However, she started as something other than a creative director. Lynell worked as a graphic designer for several years before climbing to the top and becoming a creative director.

Chicago to South Dakota

After college, she started working for an agency in Chicago on notable national accounts. After

What is a creative director?

A creative director is a large umbrella and is often a

HenkinSchultz

role each agency handles differently. HenkinSchultz has two creative directors, one focusing more on copywriting, themes, and campaign strategies. While Lynell, the other creative director, is still involved in those processes and decisions, however, she tends to be more involved with the design portion. “Along with my creative direction, tends also to be a lot of art direction.”

As a creative director, she understands the balance between form and function in commercial art.

“That is why people come to us, not to just make something pretty but something that is going to produce results.”

It is also part of her job to oversee everything and ensure it meets their company standards: “I am one of the last sets of eyes to see it before it goes in front of a client.” One of the important things she learned while studying communication arts, which she still applies to her job today, is “it has to function well, it has to communicate well, not just look pretty.”

Because HenkinSchultz is a small enough agency, Lynell gets to be very hands-on and work as both a creative director and designer. “We often get to work on our projects as well as helping the other designers and working together with them.”

HenkinSchultz

At HenkinSchultz, they are very focused and driven towards ensuring their clients get what they want and see results. “That is why people come to us, not just to make something pretty but something that is going to produce results.”

In the Life of a Creative Director

The day-to-day of a creative director is hard to pinpoint because every day can look different. “Honestly day-to-day I can not put into words because every day is different.” However, if she were to break down the responsibilities of a creative director, she would say it looks like starting the day off by checking in with the graphic designers to ensure everybody has work to do. Then, she begins working on her projects before heading into meetings.

She often meets with clients to establish what they want and how they want their brand to be perceived by the public. “I often spend a lot of my time making presentation decks, which we use to present ideas to a client. The idea is to always make sure you can explain why you are presenting and designing something.”

Advice

Lynell is big on research. She feels this is one of the most often overlooked aspects of the design field. She recommends always researching because this eliminates the possibility of creating something already out there. “By doing something fresh, you are setting yourself apart from competitors.”

Inspiration

Lyenll’s favorite part of her job is making people feel things. “How will this make a person feel, and how can I recreate that feeling into a design?” Lynell also loves words, often

“By doing something fresh, you are setting yourself apart from competitors”

finding inspiration from words or phrases she likes, and even starts her designs with typography. Another place she draws inspiration from is nature. Lynell is a huge fan of nature and loves to be a part of it. “Nature is the best creation.”

Challenges

While Lynell loves her job, that is not to say there aren’t challenging aspects of her career that can become frustrating, especially as design evolves. Lynell says that trying to stay fresh and coming up with new ideas that haven’t already been done is one of the most complex parts of this field. There is so much out there, and having been in the industry for almost 30 years, she can sometimes become overwhelmed by the many changes in technology, software, and trends. Another challenge she faces is budgeting. Unfortunately, they do not have all day long to brainstorm; this can often lead to feeling rushed. “How much money does your client have to spend on a project? How can you make sure you are using their time effectively and yours?” These are common questions Lynell asks herself to produce the best results.

Lynell Weeg overseeing the graphic designer working on a logo.

Why?

“If you’re gonna fail, fail fast. Do this idea, and if it doesn’t work, move on. It is okay to fail, but make sure you don’t stay there.” However, she has found ways to overcome these challenges. Her favorite way to overcome challenges is to start with criticical thinking and go from there. “It starts with the thinking; it always comes back to the why?”

“It starts with the thinking; it always comes back to the why?”

Artist Bio

Makayla Wickman is a designer, photographer, musician, and avid reader. She is currently a second-year Media Design student at Southeast Technical College. She is a very goal-oriented and driven person. This applies heavily to her work ethic as well. She always strives to satisfy clients and ensure their expectations are exceeded.

Lynell Weeg in front of the HenkinSchultz Sign on their building

Say Yes to the Dress with Marie & Marie Bridal

Coincidence into Business

Sisters Kayla and Erin were both unhappy with their current jobs. It did not take long before they separately stumbled upon the idea of opening a bridal shop. "We kinda came up with the idea separately. It all came full circle. We both were like oh my gosh, I also had that idea too. So, we decided to do it together." After realizing they both had the same business idea, they decided to take a chance and embark on the adventure of opening a bridal shop in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Before Bridal

Before deciding to open up a bridal shop, Kayla was working in marketing, and her sister Erin worked in finance. "The two together, while they don't really scream fashion, it kinda worked out in our favor. She does more of the finance, with numbers and bookwork, and I do more of the marketing side of things." When it came to their own weddings, Kayla loved being involved in every side of the bridal experience, "I've always liked fashion, but bridal was kinda niche, but it still worked out. I love bridal now. I actually just got back from New York for the Bridal Fashion Week, which is such a cool experience for us."

Kayla in front of the floural Marie and Marie wall

Why a Bridal Shop?

Kayla and Erin were both married when most of their friends started to become engaged and start wedding planning. Their friends often had to travel to Minnesota or Nebraska to go dress shopping because there were no options in Sioux Falls. "Erin’s friends were really starting to get engaged and married. A lot of them were always having to travel to Minneapolis to go to these beautiful stores and get that wedding dress experience. So we thought, why do we have to go to Minneapolis to get this experience? We really felt like Sioux Falls needed this experience and would benefit from having a bridal shop." This was the inspiration behind deciding to open up a small business.

Marie and Marie

The name of their shop, Marie and Marie, comes from the sisters sharing the same middle name, 'Marie.' They sat down with about ten friends one night and were throwing around ideas for a business name. After doing some research and going through many name options, one of their friends stumbled across the word Marie in French, which happens to mean married. This felt like fate to them, and they decided to name their shop Marie and Marie Bridal.

Inspiration

At Marie and Marie Bridal, they are all about the bride. They want to make the dress-buying experience as memorable as possible. They feel picking out your wedding dress should be as special as the day they walk down the aisle. "It's just so fun working with all the brides and seeing how happy this experience is for them. I want to make sure they have their dream moment when finding their dress. We really pride ourselves on a good experience."

Day to Day

free the bride to wander the store and pull dresses. However, the consultant also pulls dresses for the bride to try on based on their discussion. Eight dresses are usually pulled; however, a bride can try on as many as they would like. After the bride selects a dress, the consultant will take her measurements and send it out to be made absolutely perfect for the bride.

Challenges and Advice

Kayla and Erin have faced their fair share of challenges being small business owners. "You are never going to make everyone happy, and we had to learn how to accept that. I remember when we got our first bad review, and it was devastating. Now we've just learned that you have to just do your best and keep your values high." Despite these challenges, Kayla and Erin have gained quite the following in and around Sioux Falls, with people now traveling to experience their store.

Although starting a business was difficult, they feel that as long as you have a marketable idea, anyone can start a business. "Make sure there is a market for it. Put together a good business plan. Know that you will be working a lot. And go for it."

TV Versus Real-Life

Say Yes to the Dress is a TV show about a bridal shop that often includes a lot of drama. However, it may be shocking to learn that this is inaccurate to how appointments go in real life. In fact, there is often no drama during appointments. "On TV, they have to make it dramatic, but in real life, at least here, we very rarely have issues or arguments take place."

Why They Love This Job

While weekly appointments are made, Saturdays are the busy day of the week for the shop. During the week, Kayla and Erin spend their time unpacking shipments of dresses and putting in orders for new dresses. However, on Saturdays, the day looks very different. "Saturdays are wild but fun. It is one appointment after another." A bride will be greeted with the option of an assortment of beverages. After, the bride is taken to a private dressing room where they will spend time some time discussing their expectations and wants in a dress. The consultant will then

Kayla and Erin love this job for the simple fact of being able to help people feel good. They strive to ensure the bride has a positive experience leading to their big day. Making people feel beautiful and seeing their faces light up is the driving force for doing it all. "Seeing a bride say yes to the dress and crying because they are so happy is a really cool moment. I still tear up and get goosebumps."

Wedding dresses sold at Marie & Marie Bridal

Photo