Lidia V.
Brand Strategist & Marketing Designer at Lidia Varesco Design
Graphic Design
Education: Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL, USA
Biography
Lidia Varesco Racoma of Lidia Varesco Design in Chicago empowers organizations to make a change through strategic branding and marketing design. She is a brand strategist, marketing designer, blogger and speaker and leads branding and creative marketing workshops for nonprofits, associations and small businesses around the world. Lidia Varesco Design celebrated 20 years in business in November 2020.
Passion
I have a passion for branding and creative marketing and most of my talks revolve around those topics. I also enjoy talking about biz mama life (juggling a small business and family)
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions
Topics
Best Story
My 1st grade teacher Sister Leonard used to reprimand me because I talked too much, calling me a "chatterbox." This continued throughout my school years, as I would get in trouble for talking to—or "smirking at"—my friends during class.
As I got older I realized this was not a detriment, but rather a superpower. I decided to become a speaker and teacher, presenting webinars, workshops, and courses for nonprofits and organizations all over the world. And I smile a lot too. As author and speaker Luvvie Ajayi Jones says: BE TOO MUCH.
Origin Story
My earliest design memory is at around 8 years old, being in the library and arranging magazines on the table in a way that felt aesthetically pleasing to me—probably while I was supposed to be doing research for a paper. As I got into my tween/teen years, I started making collaborative music zines with friends, with my design tools being a photocopier, paper, and art supplies.
When I started college I had planned to be a fine artist, but I had an amazing graphic design instructor who encouraged me to go down that path instead and I ended up at Columbia College Chicago. I had wonderful design instructors at Columbia, as well as an internship, that led me to a career in design—and owning my own business.
Example talks
Create Quick Graphics with the Building Blocks of Design
Nowadays, most nonprofit professionals are creating graphics in online design apps—but they haven’t been trained in design. This interactive session will show marketers and communicators how to use design principles to create compelling visuals and quick graphics that make your nonprofit’s efforts stand out—especially in a crowded digital space. The session includes an overview of Canva and links to many other design resources.
Why Your Nonprofit Needs a Brand Guide—and How to Create One
A brand guide assures that your nonprofit’s brand visuals and messaging are expressed consistently and accurately—plus it provides a compass for all of your marketing and communications. This session will show marketers and communicators why it's important to have one and how to create an effective brand guide—or improve an existing guide—by focusing on your organization’s who, what and why. Worksheets and reference materials will be provided.
What's Branding Got to With Content Marketing (Hint: A Lot)
Content marketing can help your nonprofit engage with and build your audience—but only if it’s aligned with your brand story. The who, what and why of your brand is essential to developing your content strategy—both in messaging and visuals. This session will show marketing and communication professionals how to assure brand strategy and content strategy are working together effectively.