Today we’d like to introduce you to Lia.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m originally from Colombia, and I have lived in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and now Richmond. My interest in design started early. I taught myself how to code by building Sailor Moon fan sites, which still feels very on brand.
I studied Communication Design at Miami Dade and Parsons, then split my career between startups and agencies. I worked across brand, product, and creative direction. I like seeing the whole picture and figuring out how all the pieces connect.
In 2018 I launched Ms. Eyecon, a sunglasses brand inspired by bold women. I designed everything from the glasses and packaging to the website and launch. It was exciting, chaotic, and the fastest education in running a business I could have asked for.
Over time, Ms. Eyecon grew with me and became Studio Eyecon. Today I help local businesses, founders, and small teams bring their ideas to life through branding, websites, and digital products. I want the work to be clear, useful, and memorable. Most of all, I want it to feel like them, not like everyone else.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth? Absolutely not. I started Ms. Eyecon with a strong idea and the confidence that I would figure out the rest. Then the rest showed up: manufacturing, inventory, shipping, marketing, money, and hundreds of decisions no design degree prepares you for.
The harder part was knowing when to let the business change. My career had grown into product design and creative direction, but Ms. Eyecon was still known as a sunglasses brand. Turning it into Studio Eyecon felt like letting go of an old version of myself. Eventually I realized I had not failed. I had simply grown.
Running a studio still means switching brains all day. I can go from a creative concept to a proposal to fixing a website in one afternoon. Moving to Richmond also meant building a new community from scratch. I am still learning, but I have become less precious, more honest, and much clearer about the work I want to do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Studio Eyecon is my creative studio in Richmond. I work with local businesses, founders, and small teams on branding, websites, digital products, and art direction.
I care about making things look good, but that is only the beginning. I want to understand the business, the people it serves, and what the work actually needs to do. Then I create something that feels distinct and works in real life.
Years spent moving between startups and agencies taught me how to shift between the big idea and the small details. I think about what happens after launch, when a client needs to update the site or someone else needs to use the system.
Studio Eyecon still carries the spirit of Ms. Eyecon. It is confident, intuitive, a little mystical, and never boring. It has simply grown up with me.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
One of my favorite childhood memories is playing in my grandma’s backyard in Colombia and picking mangoes straight from the tree.
Pricing:
- Brand identity systems: starting at $5,000
- Custom website design: starting at $5,500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mseyecon.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ms.eyecon
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernandezlia
