about design chew

Design Chew is a virtual group that brings solopreneurs and small business owners together twice a month.

Design Chew is a virtual group that brings solopreneurs and small business owners together twice a month. We are a multidisciplinary group specializing in Experiential Design and Graphic Design. Specifically, members of our group focus on experiential design, signage and wayfinding, exhibit design, branding, and work in retail, entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, multifamily, and workplace.

meetings

Guest Speakers

Book club

Power Hours

Discord

  • Our members come from all over the world! Currently, we have members who reside all over California, Washington, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, and England. We previously had members who are no longer in the group reside in Oregon, Missouri, Ohio, Canada, Philippines, and Indonesia.

  • As a small business owner working from home, I don’t get to interact with my fellow Experiential Design community as often as I would like and often feel siloed. I miss having collaboration between designers and thought of a way to bring that back and create a sense of community with other in the same situation. I have had many conversations with other designers all over the world on social media platforms like LinkedIn who recently started their own businesses and thought it would be fun to start a bi-monthly group called Design Chew.

    The goal of this group would be to have a platform where we would meet virtually and share what we are currently working on to gain feedback from others, talk about what is working/not working in our businesses, and just create a community for us to lean on each other for advice and support to talk about Experiential Design.

    I went out on a limb and wrote a post about my interest in starting this group on LinkedIn and had a lot of interest and on October 7th, 2022 we had our very first meeting! The rest is history…

meet the #ChewCrew

MEET THE FOUNDER

Lauren Stern

Lauren Stern is a spirited Experiential Graphic Designer from Charlotte, NC, with over a decade of expertise in transforming spaces with artful and functional designs. Whether it’s weaving the narrative of a place through wayfinding & signage or injecting creativity into everyday environments with dynamic murals and artful focal walls, she crafts visual stories that speak.

  • As the proud Owner and Experiential Design Consultant of Studio 618, a boutique, woman-owned design consultancy, she has embraced the challenge and thrill of entrepreneurship since our inception on June 18, 2021—a date that marks her leap into a world of elevated design with an artful approach. At Studio 618, we partner with developers, businesses, and design firms across the U.S., bringing each client’s vision to life with precision and flair. Our portfolio spans 60 projects in 36 cities across 13 states, demonstrating our versatility and commitment to excellence.

    Lauren’s background in digital illustration, fiber art, and watercolor not only enriches her design approach but also brings a unique artistic touch to each project. From custom interior and exterior signage to emergency evacuation maps, every design is a blend of functionality and artistry.

    Additionally, she is the co-chair of the Charlotte SEGD Chapter and the founder of Design Chew, an exclusive global network of small business owners in the experiential graphic design field. We chat, share, and grow together, meeting bi-monthly to ensure we’re at the forefront of industry innovation and community building.

    Exciting News! Lauren’s children's book, Signs Have Much to Say, explores the fun and fundamental aspects of signage and wayfinding. Available on Amazon, at her website, and locally at Park Road Books, Paper Skyscraper in Charlotte, NC and 2nd & Charles in Matthews, NC. Reach out for a signed copy!

Members

speakers

Cities

States

countries

  • "it's made me a better business"

    Design Chew is my posse. Working alone for over 20 years started feeling like working in a vacuum. I had very few that would discuss the issues of running a small design firm. Money, contracts, client problems, the projects that gave me trouble, my winners. I instantly got a team of fellow and talented business owners who understood the struggle and freely shared their experiences and information. It’s made me a better business and opened my possibilities and showed me I still had worth.

    Rick Chavez

  • "everyone is so inviting, willing to share, and super supportive"

    Design Chew is an amazing group to be a part of for so many reasons! First and foremost - the people. Everyone is so inviting, willing to share, and super supportive. We rely on each other for constructive feedback about our projects, businesses, websites, and more. I really can’t say enough great things about Design Chew!

    Steve Harroun

  • "design chew is a second family"

    If there’s one thing I could re-do as a business owner, it would’ve been to find a tribe of people to support me as soon as possible. Running a business requires you to wear a lot of hats. Some of those roles you’ll be great at, but some of them can be a struggle. Having a community of people who can give support, advice, or even just a listening ear goes a long way with keeping the momentum going when things seem to grow slowly. More importantly, Design Chew is a second family. It’s a group of friends and peers that I know I can trust with intimate details about the balance between work and life and we can have open and honest conversations about our goals.

    Alex Jeongco

  • "we support each other by sharing lessons and applying experiences to foster business growth"

    I feel fortunate to be a member of the Design Chew group. It offers opportunities to learn, apply, and integrate knowledge gained from the group. As a business owner, I've learned that everyone faces challenges, but we support each other by sharing lessons and applying experiences to foster business growth. Lauren Stern has been a beacon for our group, and I am deeply thankful to her for leading this group.

    Anait Kokonyan

  • "we've formed lifelong friendships"

    Having a group of colleagues to turn to for support and guidance has been life changing. We’re all trying to build our businesses from the ground up, and Design Chew provides each of us with a safe space to discuss our challenges and our wins. I’m constantly learning from and am inspired by other members of the group. We’ve formed lifelong friendships with like-minded entrepreneurs across the US and UK. I’m honored to be part of such a dedicated group of experiential graphic designers.

    Megan Kranzler

  • "design chew has broadened my industry perspective"

    Design Chew has broadened my industry perspective, including insights into what is happening nationally and abroad. Each member has their expertise and it is invaluable to witness the variety of lessons learned. Without question, founder Lauren Stern has stellar organizational skills; there would be no Design Chew without Lauren's vision and enthusiasm.

    Allison Laurel

  • "I would not be as successful as I am without design chew"

    For me Design Chew has been a vital part of my business and personal journey as an entrepreneur over the last three years. I have learned so much from my fellow chewers as well as all the amazing guest speakers who have given their time and wisdom to help all of us improve ourselves and businesses. I am very proud to be a part of this community and have made life long friends and colleagues as a result. I would not be as successful as I am without Design Chew or Lauren the founders incredible efforts and sacrifices that makes the whole thing possible.

    Craig Whitehead

  • "There is a unique harmony within the group"

    Being a part of Design Chew is such a great experience. Connecting with fellow designers and sharing our wins and challenges provides a much needed supportive space to develop ourselves and businesses. There is a unique harmony within the group that allows for a level of authenticity and trust among our fellow members- it’s the thing that makes it special. I’m inspired by everyone in the group and love learning from each other, as well as the fantastic guest speakers. As my knowledge and skills have grown while being a part of the group, so has my sense of perspective and community.

    Lori Addis

Design Chew is always looking for unique perspectives to elevate the conversations during our meetings and value what our amazing guest speakers provide. Our guest speakers are spread out all over the world and come from four separate countries! These talented individuals provide a robust and unique skill set. Their experience is vast and has been invaluable to our group.

If you are interested in being a guest speaker, please fill out the form below.

Guest Speakers

Topics That We Have Chewed Over

In Design Chew, we have had some insightful conversations about various topics to help elevate our businesses. The topics vary and have ranged from website critiques to maintaining client relationships. No matter what topic we discuss during our meeting that week, we always end our meetings with “wins of the week”, where we celebrate our professional and personal wins of the week. The wins keep getting more EPIC every time we meet! See below just a handful of some of the topics that have been discussed over the years.

Website critiques

Organizational tools and tips

Gathering client feedback

Social media and marketing

Terms and fees in proposals

Business goals

Difficult conversation

Professional photo taking tips

Time tracking and budgeting

Maintaining client relationships

Website critiques ☻ Organizational tools and tips ☻ Gathering client feedback ☻ Social media and marketing ☻ Terms and fees in proposals ☻ Business goals ☻ Difficult conversation ☻ Professional photo taking tips ☻ Time tracking and budgeting ☻ Maintaining client relationships ☻

frequently asked questions!

  • Design Chew is a virtual group that brings solopreneurs and small business owners together twice a month. We are a multidisciplinary group specializing in Experiential Design and Graphic Design. Specifically, members of our group focus on experiential design, signage and wayfinding, exhibit design, branding, and work in retail, entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, multifamily, and workplace.

  • To join Design Chew, you have to be a solopreneur or small business owner in the Experiential Deign or Graphic Design industry.

  • We talk about a variety of topics ranging from price proposals to celebrating our loser concepts. If you are interested to learn more about our topics, please check out the topics that we have chewed over.

  • Design Chew meets twice a month on Google Meet on Fridays from 2pm - 3:30pm EST. Once a year, we have a virtual retreat that goes from 1pm - 4:30 pm EST.

  • At the moment, our group is unfortunately closed but we will be looking into accepting a new members in 2025. If you are interested in becoming a member, please fill out the waitlist form and Lauren will be in touch to determine if you are a good fit.

  • No, Design Chew is absolutely free! We are a small group by design. It is all about QUALITY over QUANTITY in our small group. Since this group is free, all members are required to be active and bring value to the group.

  • You can only miss 2 meetings a quarter, you need to be active in discussions during our meetings, and present about a topic of your choosing at least once a year. If you want to be part of this group, you need to be attentive, active, and add value. We are only look for new members that do so.

join the #designchew waitlist

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