Lill Branding

Creative  Head

Graphic Solution

Art Director

index Gruppe

TCC Trébol Comunicación y Creación, S. A.

I help executives and entrepreneurs see their vision for their business come to life through strategic sketching.

If you have all these ideas in your brain and can't see the forest for the trees. You don't know which ideas will work, and how it is all connected

... then you aren't executing, and you aren't building the beautiful business you envision. 

I can help you with that.

... Strategic sketching sessions are a way to SEE your ideas and business with new eyes and move you forward FAST.

A bit about me: I am a communication designer turned visual thinking expert. 

As much as I love everything visual, pretty design images or even illustrations aren't the most important. 

The prettiest design doesn't help if your messaging – or your product – is missing the mark.

But it is almost impossible to see how to connect the dots for your business especially if you have many ideas! 

That's where I come in with my pencil. 

I use strategic sketching and a powerful story-driven framework. 

• In a Business Storyboarding session, I ask you questions and sketch while we talk. You'll SEE your client's problems and feelings. A client of mine said: "It is as if you could walk around in their life!"

• You are creating value for your clients by solving their problems in your unique way. This is the very essence of your brand! 

If you want to clarify your message and lay the foundation for your brand – send me a DM now and let's chat.

P.S. Business Storyboarding is a tool to get clarity. As a side product, you’ll get some fun and relevant sketches that you can use in your marketing! 

If you want to learn simple sketches to visualize your story with paper and pencil, check out my Visual Minds group program! 

Send me a DM if you're curious about my visual process, or my courses.

Ingrid LiLL

Easier College Essays + Admissions

Supporting families of high school seniors to go from "rough draft" to "remarkably done" essays … in one weekend. Eliminating months of stress, procrastination, and overwhelm.

Because highly-engaged parents want:

- A streamlined process with a proven structure, designed to give your teen clear guidance and support
- To ensure there are no dropped balls, missed opportunities, or last-minute scrambling 
- A completed, strong essay so your teen will SHINE on their application and receive plenty of acceptance letters
- To enjoy the process (yes, you BOTH actually can!)
- And to balance it all with an already full calendar — yours AND theirs

Admissions essays are stressful, time-intensive, and challenging to write. 

48.6% of 14,000 high school students surveyed stated that the “college application essay” was the hardest part of the entire application process — tougher than standardized tests, gathering everything for their applications, and choosing a school or major.

Plus, the Personal Statement is up to 40% of the admissions decision — that’s more than recommendations (10%), grades (20%), test scores (15%), and extracurriculars (30%). 

High school has NOT taught your teen how to craft a compelling and personal essay that reveals their deepest story. Instead, they’re pros at using a formulaic structure — thesis, three supportive arguments, and a smart conclusion — plus a sprinkling of SAT-worthy vocabulary and logical reasoning. Our teens aren’t practiced in writing about themselves. And THAT is the kind of writing that gets noticed in college admissions.

The truth is, writing an excellent essay is not as simple as “just do it”…
…or submitting a high school paper that got an “A.” 

The essay needs to be the deepest story…
told in a way that expresses the student’s unique values, 
in their own voice,
and which keeps the admissions officer 
reading from start to finish.

And Easier College Essays has helped nearly 200 seniors do exactly that.

Can we help you too?

Christy Sharafinski, Founder

Off-Leash Branding, LLC

I combine business strategy (having coached over 600 small-to-medium sized businesses) with 20+ years of design, editing, marketing, sales and branding experience to serve clients ranging from solopreneurs to established organizations. And I love making the process empowering, efficient & expansive for us all!

Founder & Chief Creative

Christy Sharafinski Design

Graphic design & illustration services for regional, national and international organizations, primarily in the non-profit realm. Recognized for bold, graphic layouts, outstanding copywriting and editorial content.

Other achievements:
- 

- Created curriculums for 8-week beginner, intermediate & advanced Interior Decorating seminars. Consistently received highest ratings for excellence in instruction and customer satisfaction. 

- Recognized for quickly drilling down to the heart of design issues and for providing creative, cost-effective solutions (both in the academic setting and in one-on-one consultations).

Founder & Lead Designer

Pretty Little Workshops

Pretty Little Workshops are one day and multi-day events in Chicago's western suburbs geared toward pre-teens, teens and adults. Offerings include Pretty & Poised Teen, Camp Pretty & Poised, Project Fashionista, Beautiful You!, and Photo Time! The purpose of each educational workshop is to facilitate deep learning through hands-on, interactive activities. The goal is to build both inner confidence and life skills.

President & Founder

Mirasee

Conducted over 600 one-on-one strategy sessions with small to mid-sized business owners via Zoom and in person. Coached them on the next best steps, business strategy, and growth. Top sales producer on the strategy team. Recognized for out-of-the-box thinking, keen insights, and the wide range of resources I brought to entrepreneurs in a diverse range of industries.

Strategist

College Planners of America, LTD

Manage all social media accounts. Draft, refine and edit all company blog posts. Creation of infographics.

Project managed website relaunch. Edited copy and visual content. Researched competition in the independent educational consultant market.

Ongoing coaching and mentoring students on essay writing: selecting the best topics, drafting, editing, and staying on schedule. Typically 5-15 revisions per student.

Social Media & Marketing Manager, Essay Writing Specialist

NuSkin Enterprises

Connecting with and mentoring entrepreneurial-minded individuals. 

Energetic leadership of 100+ self-starting individuals with varying levels of marketing and sales experience. Sent benchmarks and strategized on marketing solutions.

National speaker and trainer on leadership, team-building, corporate identity, and personal branding.

Entrepreneurial Scout, Team Trainer, Coach & Speaker

Youth For Understanding International Exchange

As lead designer for America's oldest youth exchange organization, I created print materials for every aspect of YFU programs: marketing catalogs, monthly newsletters, promotional materials, volunteer manuals, student training booklets, and more. 

- Partnered with the Production Manager on a major redesign of all primary marketing pieces. 
- Visioned and story-boarded photo shoots, recruited teen models, sourced shoot locations, etc. 
- Interfaced with team members from five departments. 
- Recognized for creative, corporately-appropriate solutions, and regularly meeting deadlines. 
- Effectively worked within $1 million annual budget.

Senior Graphic Designer

The Word Among Us

Updated the magazine design layout to electronic/desktop publishing. Produced monthly layouts for two editions (English & Spanish). Collaborated with the editorial and illustration teams. Protected brand identity.

For the last decade, I've mentored high school seniors from across the US to craft deep, standout essays and applications. I've supported students with writing and submitting over 3000 essays, helping teens secure their spot at dream colleges and many to win tens or hundreds of thousands in scholarships and merit money. 

I helped a homeschool student secure a full-ride scholarship at the Catholic University of America, worth over $200K for four years…

I worked with another teen to win acceptance and free tuition to her #1 choice school. In her junior year, we teamed up again to craft an outstanding essay and resume, winning her early admittance into the business school’s MBA program. Thanks to dual enrollment in her senior year, she received her first year of graduate school for free. And now we've worked together for a third time, completing her resume and application to law school.

My students work with me from across the US. They've been accepted at Villanova, Northwestern, Florida State University, University of Illinois - Chicago, University of Seattle, North Carolina State, Clemson, and many more. They’re studying medicine, business, engineering, liberal arts, and dozens of other majors.

Working alongside each teen, I have the opportunity to SEE them, to coax out their deepest story… as they express their unique genius in their own voice. And I guide them in writing every one of their 650 words effectively, keeping their reader engaged from the first word to the last.

I'm a mom to 6 kids of my own and host mom to 13 French exchange students. 

I invite you to schedule a free college application strategy session at EasierCollegeEssays.com.

taplio

The Battle

Ingrid LiLL

Christy Sharafinski

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