99 Stories | Page 49

Name David McGraw Company Moonlit Solutions David McGraw and his family came to a crossroads when the California movie studio he worked for closed. It meant staying in California, where David’s software development skills would be highly sought or moving to Kansas to be closer to family. They chose Kansas (there’s no place like home, amirite?). Sensing a need to help people with their ideas in tech-burgeoning Wichita, David created his own consultancy firm, Moonlit Solutions. And since its beginning, he’s helped launch products for startups, as well as worked with national names like AOL and Microsoft! But before he could attract nationally recognized clients David knew he needed a logo that would reflect his talent and expertise, “Branding matters. How you look matters. I wasn't about to risk $5000+ on branding, so I turned to 99designs.” So far David has used 99designs seven times as he continues to develop Moonlit Solutions! Name Ana Paula Alexandrescu Company My Brigadeiro A Brazil native, Ana Paula Alexandrescu shares her passion for her home country by cooking traditional Brazilian desserts for family and friends. But her special Brigadeiros, or handcrafted chocolate truffle balls, had attracted enough sweet tooths across the Upper Valley of New Hampshire to convince Ana that she could make a living off her sugary passion. And so, My Brigadeiro was born in 2012. Although Ana had the recipes, she needed professional branding to get her product out of the oven and into customers’ mouths. Luckily, Platinum designer Stevanus Gerald went above and beyond her expectations. “After creating the logo, I developed a great business/friendship with Stevanus, despite the thousand of miles that separate us. Today, he is the only graphic designer I use!” That’s one tasty story.