Five Sigma Studio
ENGAGEMENT DURATION
5 years (ongoing)
BUSINESS CLASSIFICATION
Creative Services Agency,
Small Business
PROJECT TYPES
Brand Identity Development
Print Marketing Collateral Design
Digital Marketing Collateral Design
Photo Editing & Retouching
CREATIVE COLLABORATORS
Creative Direction: Niki Blaker
Copywriting: Shaina Rozen
Five Sigma Studio is a boutique design and strategy studio specializing in brand identity and creative direction for a diverse range of clients.
THE SITUATION
Niki and I had worked together long before this engagement started—enough that when Five Sigma’s workload outgrew what she could handle alone, reaching out felt like a natural next step. What began as occasional overflow help in 2021 settled into a two-day-a-week retainer partnership that’s now been running for five years.
This engagement is different from most in my portfolio. Rather than stewarding a single brand over time, I function as a senior design resource across Niki's entire client roster of more than a dozen ongoing clients. The work is varied: brand identity projects, print and digital collateral, event graphics, surface pattern design, photo retouching, and whatever else the week calls for. Every project that comes through me has to meet Five Sigma’s level of quality, reflect the client’s brand accurately, and be delivered so reliably that Niki can pass it on to the client without a second thought.
“Melissa and I go back to our days together at Forty, where we worked side by side as design colleagues. When Forty got acquired, and we each went off to build our own businesses, I always wanted to find a way to work together again.
That chance came in 2021, when my business was growing, and I needed extra design support. I brought Melissa on to help with overflow work. What started as occasional help quickly turned into a steady two-day-a-week partnership, and we’ve kept that retainer going for the past five years.
Melissa works across several design programs and moves easily between different types of projects, which means I can hand her almost anything. But what I value most is how easy she is to work with. She’s dependable, she communicates well, and she gets through a high volume of work without cutting corners. I never have to wonder whether something will get done or done right.
Five years later, she’s still a cornerstone of my weekly operations. Any team would be lucky to have her.”
NIKI BLAKER
OWNER & DESIGN STRATEGIST
Custom pattern development for Tiny Twinkle.
Infographics for Tiny Twinkle’s Amazon product pages
Brand evolution (colors and typefaces only) for Kregel & Co.
T-shirt designs for Kregel & Co.’s staff retreat, featuring evolved branding
Mini brand for 52Ten mobile home property acquisition, Palm Harbor Estates.
Mini brand for 52Ten mobile home property acquisition, Hidden Oasis.
Unused logo concept for 52Ten mobile home property acquisition, Villa Estates.
Business card designs for Cylinder Health.
Blog infographics for Cylinder Health.
Ebook design for Cylinder Health.
Sales sheet design for CloudID.
Set of over 70 bespoke icons for Jama Software.
Program booklet layout for AIAA Fellows Induction Ceremony.
Event branding and collateral design for Barbie’s Dream Bar event at Tempe Marketplace.
Event branding and collateral design for Butterfly Bliss event at Tempe Marketplace.
Assorted event branding and digital graphics for events at Tempe Marketplace.
