Strong Design

07/10/2026

I’m so excited to finally share this pattern design I created for Five Sigma Studio and their client Tiny Twinkle Tiny Twinkle creates safe baby products for modern mommas, so this new pattern has been applied to multiple product designs (swipe to check them out). I have been wanting to do more surface pattern design lately, so I was thrilled when Niki at Five Sigma asked for my help with this task! The request was for a minimal, organic floral pattern, and while initially we thought the neutral tones were what was desired, when the client saw the periwinkle blue option they absolutely loved it! I included a few of the other colorway explorations in this carousel as well (just for fun), along with some beautiful images of the finished products!

All patterns and images are copyright of Tiny Twinkle. All rights reserved. Product photography by Fully Alive Photography ™️

04/07/2026

I (Melissa) started a YouTube channel! 🎉⁣
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This has been on my “someday” list for a long time, and I finally decided to go for it. The channel lives under my name (Melissa Balkon), and it’s a space where I’ll be sharing both design-focused content and a behind-the-scenes look at my handmade product business.⁣
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I’ll be sharing all about things like:⁣
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☑️ How design decisions actually impact business performance⁣
☑️ What goes into building a brand (beyond just visuals)⁣
☑️ And how I create and sell physical products⁣
⁣
My goal is to publish a new video every week this year (wish me luck 😅), so there’s a lot more coming.⁣
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If you have a minute, I’d love for you to check out the channel (the link is in my bio). If you find it helpful or interesting, consider subscribing. Engagement (likes, comments, subscriptions) really does make a BIG difference in helping the channel grow, especially in these early stages.⁣ I hope you enjoy it!

Designer by day. Maker by night.⁣ ⁣ I'm a left-brained designer and maker based in sunny Arizona. On this channel, I talk about all things branding, graphic design, small business, and handmade business and maker life. I share actionable tips & tricks that I've learned in my journey, as well as ...

03/24/2026

I started a YouTube channel! 🎉⁣
⁣
This has been on my “someday” list for a long time, and I finally decided to go for it. The channel lives under my name (Melissa Balkon), and it’s a space where I’ll be sharing both design-focused content and a behind-the-scenes look at my handmade product business.⁣
⁣
I’ll be sharing all about things like:⁣
⁣
☑️ How design decisions actually impact business performance⁣
⁣
☑️ What goes into building a brand (beyond just visuals)⁣
⁣
☑️ And how I create and sell physical products⁣
⁣
My goal is to publish a new video every week this year (wish me luck 😅), so there’s a lot more coming.⁣
⁣
If you have a minute, I’d love for you to check out the channel (the link is in my bio). If you find it helpful or interesting, consider subscribing. Engagement (likes, comments, subscriptions) really does make a BIG difference in helping the channel grow, especially in these early stages.⁣
⁣
I hope you enjoy it!

01/12/2026

Just in case you’re working on your 1099s, our 2025 template is ready! This template helps you place the data in the right place, and print it onto your forms! #1099

01/12/2026

Every year I send our clients a gift as a little token of appreciation for their continued support, and this year was no different! This year’s gift was a t-shirt emblazoned with the John Milton quote “Luck is the residue of design.” Its always fun to select the theme quote, and I loved this one because it felt like a cool statement to represent while wearing the garment. It’s so important when designing swag to design something the recipient actually would value and want to use! From my perspective, I loved how it reinforced the value design brings to the table in business. I used to print the shirts (and stickers) and I was floored by the quality of these shirts—mine has quickly become my favorite t-shirt!⁣
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