The Baltimore chapter of AIGA received two of three national INNOVATE grants to put their proposals that support the design community into action. The grant, established in 2015, aims to support and empower AIGA members and chapters across the nation. AIGA Baltimore was awarded one grant to develop and build YouLaunchIt, an online business toolkit featuring a range of easily accessible articles, tutorial videos, and infographics to help creatives step out on their own. As part of the launch, they also created a video in partnership with Stereoscope Studios to promote this content and celebrate their grant wins.

With YouLaunchIt, AIGA Baltimore sought a way to bridge the gap between business and design, providing freelancers and business owners with tools and skills necessary to get started. The content needed to cover business regulations and guidelines, taxes, accounting, pricing, and branding—unfamiliar territory for many creatives. Organization would prove to be key, allowing users to access this information quickly and easily.

Through a bold color palette and flexible icon system, we were able to simplify an overwhelming process into an approachable guide for freelancers and entrepreneurs as they develop their business. This system we created allows visitors at any stage of the entrepreneurial process to educate themselves and use the site as a useful tool to either get started or continue to grow.

AIGA Baltimore unveiled the site at the national AIGA Leadership Conference and the chapter is excited to see members across the nation use this website to achieve their business goals. AIGA Baltimore wants to grow the site into a nationwide resource for experts to share their work with other entrepreneurs.