Today we’d like to introduce you to Vania Lautaha
Hi Vania, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always loved art and the process of pulling something out of your mind’s eye and turning it into something you can physically see in front of you. I drew and doodled everywhere–note pads, scratch paper, books.
When I was about 12, my dad brought home a Create-A-Card program that allowed you to make custom greeting cards from your desktop using pre-made templates and clip art. This is where my love for creating print items on the computer began. Though very basic in its functions and watered down when compared to anything professional, I used this program to make everything except greeting cards–calendars, posters, signs, newsletters, gift tags, whatever I could think of that could be printed on my HP DeskJet. I loved the idea of using the computer to create something pretty and memorable. I would use that program throughout high school to design invitations, jazz up homework and projects, make gifts and eventually also greeting cards.
Fast forward to 2008, while working as an administrative assistant at a Polynesian Entertainment company home in Hawaii, the need arose for someone to learn Photoshop for projects needed at the time. I taught myself how to use it, and since then have developed what I think are my own methods of using the program for what I need. Though I have no formal Photoshop training or graphic design education, I consider myself proficient and have been creating my own personal design style since 2008. My process of doing things within Photoshop may not make sense to professional graphic designers, but I am able to use it to create what I want it to, to represent what’s in my mind’s eye.
Eventually, as friends and family would see the things I created for different family functions, work projects, church activities, and parties, friends and family would ask me to design things for them and it became something I felt I was really good at. Over the years, I would take on more projects here and there until I was no longer just designing for friends and family, but friends of friends, family of family, and everyone in between. How grateful I was, and still very much am, that people think my work is worthy of sharing with their loved ones.
Talimailagi Customs was started in April 2021 as a way to serve others through design. My first month of being “open,” I designed custom items for people for free, as my gift to them for considering me to create for them. Doing so helped me to stretch my design skills, design for a variety of occasions and build a portfolio that included work from clients that I didn’t already know. I realized that with every design commission, I grew to love designing even more than I thought I previously did. I truly feel it’s my calling in this life, after of course daughter, sister, wife and mother–to help others mark their special occasions with special keepsakes and mementos, designed just for them.
I consider myself an “emotional designer,” and depend heavily on how I FEEL about the design, more than by the technical aspects of what Photoshop can do for me. I think that is what sets my work apart. Everything is by FEEL, rather than going by specific rules that formal courses might instruct their students on. How do certain colors, fonts, design layouts contribute to the feelings the client will have when they see it…that is how I work. And that is how I think others identify my work when they see it somewhere. They tell me, “I saw it and just knew it was one of yours.” That makes me so happy.
What started as a hobby, became my passion, and it in turn is now something that helps me to contribute to my family financially. It also allows me the flexibility to be present and available for my one and only son, Talimailagi, for which Talimailagi Customs is named. My product offerings have grown to both digital and printed items, for any occasion being celebrated because I believe that we should celebrate any and all the things, however you want to, while you still can. Be as “EXTRA” as you want to because these are for YOUR memories. I’m here for it all.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Sometimes it can be difficult to find your way to stand out when apps and AI abound and new designers/businesses enter the market every day doing what you do. I’ve always been very proud of my design style and my design “eye,” and when the comparison-monster creeps up on me, I try to remind myself that that eye and style is unique to me. I have the most wonderful clients and sometimes they share with me the reasons they chose me to design for them. I know I am not for everyone, but how grateful I am for the ones who vibe with my style and feel the emotional connection to my designs I create for them. It keeps me hungry to keep growing and learning and developing my style, but also very humbled that this is the work I get to do and share with others.
It can also be very challenging to fill all the roles I have and keep up with “wearing all the hats.” Running a small business with an employee count of 1.5 (the 1 being me, and the .5 being Talimailagi who is my one and only employee who works on an as-needed basis, ha!) and being a wife, mother, sister, daughter, church youth leader, chef, maid, chauffeur, designer, manager, delivery person, receptionist and social media manager sometimes gets me a little jammed up. But, I am grateful for it all because I get to do what works for me and for my family. I get to prioritize my family and arrange everything around what our needs are that day, week, month. This was not always my situation, and it’s not lost on me how fortunate I am to be present for them. It is the biggest blessing. I GET to make it work, so I NEED to make it work.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I design custom digital and print items to help celebrate any and every occasion my clients want. My most popular items are banners & backdrops, custom flags, custom shirt designs, kukui license plate leis and memorial items for funerals (memorial programs, buttons, lanyards and more). There are a lot of individuals who offer the same products, but I think I’ve built enough of a portfolio over the last few years that the “look and feel” of my work sets me apart. I’m what I like to call an “emotional designer,” meaning I rely on how I feel when working on a design and treat every design as if it’s for my own family. That makes each and every order that I work on personal, and I think that shows in the final draft of each design.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Stay true to YOUR style and continually work to develop it. Be inspired by others, but don’t copy their work. Give credit where credit is due and never claim someone else’s work as your own. When you are struggling, remember that you are the only one of you there is so give yourself grace and take a breather. Don’t give up, give in or walk away when you hit the slightest speed bump. Prioritize your family and village–they are your support system and want to see you succeed. Give them the best of you, not the leftovers.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talimailagi_customs
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalimailagiCustoms
