If you’ve ever felt like you don’t quite fit into one box — too artsy for the tech crowd, too techy for the artsy crowd — welcome. You’ve found your people. Or at least, you’ve found me. And trust me, I get it.
I’m Ali, the designer and one-woman show behind Creative Geek Design. And the short version of my story is this: I’m a creative geek. Always have been. I just didn’t always have the words — or the Etsy shop — to prove it.
It Started With My Mom
My mother was one of those rare humans who could do anything she put her hands to. Ceramics, painting, sewing, crocheting, knitting, quilting — if it required skill, patience, and a creative eye, she had it mastered. She was also one of the strongest women I’ve ever known. Growing up with her meant growing up surrounded by the idea that making things was just… normal. That beauty was something you created, not just something you bought.
I tried to keep up. I really did. I attempted quilting. I dabbled in painting. But here’s the honest truth: I was never quite as good as she was. (Love you, Mom. It’s fine. I’ve made peace with it.)
What I did have — even as a little kid — was an eye. A sense for colour and pattern, and how things fit together visually. I wrote poems and short stories and even submitted a few to magazines around age nine or ten (bold move, young Ali). But the memory that really makes me smile? A school report on zebras that I turned into a handmade booklet, complete with hand-drawn illustrations and a zebra on the cover made from aluminum foil and black yarn.
My mom saved it. Of course she did.
A few years ago, I found it in a box of things she’d kept from my childhood. And honestly? That little zebra booklet kind of explains everything about who I am. The creative kid who couldn’t just write a report — she had to design it.
The Geeky Half of the Equation
Here’s where it gets interesting — and where I start to feel like a bit of a unicorn.
My first computer was a hand-me-down running DOS. No graphics. No mouse. Just a blinking cursor and the challenge of figuring it out. Reader, I was obsessed. I learned. I upgraded. And I became an early adopter of pretty much every piece of new tech that came along. New software? Let’s go. New platform? Fascinating. A new puzzle to solve? That’s basically my love language.
My favourite TV shows are medical mysteries and crime dramas. I’ve watched all the Star Wars movies (yes, all of them — the good ones and the ones we don’t talk about). I love intelligent humour, logic puzzles, and the particular satisfaction of figuring out how something works.
When most people face something new and unfamiliar, there’s a learning curve. A bit of hesitation. For me, there’s just… excitement. Show me the new thing. Let me dig in.
I know. I’m a lot. My friends know this about me. They also know I love coffee, I’m fiercely loyal, and I’m occasionally funny. (Occasionally. I’m working on the consistency.)
Paper Crafts, Pixels, and a Silhouette Cameo
As a teen and young adult, friends and family always came to me for opinions on fashion, paint colours, and home decor. I had a knack for it. Colours and patterns just made sense to me in a way I couldn’t always explain.
In my later years, I fell hard for paper crafting — scrapbooking, card making, and paper quilling. I eventually got into it deep enough to have my work featured in three craft magazines. And then I bought a Silhouette Cameo, started designing my own SVG files for my projects, and thought, wait. Other people might want these.
That was the beginning of the Etsy shop. Creative Geek Design started as a place to sell the SVG designs I was making for my own scrapbooking. And it grew. Six thousand sales and a 4.8-star rating later, I had proof that other crafters felt the same way about my work.
The Chapter Nobody Talks About Enough
I want to be honest with you, because I think the pretty highlight-reel version of people’s stories does everyone a disservice.
I became a graphic designer during one of the hardest seasons of my life. After my divorce, I needed work. I’d been a stay-at-home mom, and I knew I wanted to do something I actually loved. I did the research. I settled on graphic design. I went back to school.
At the same time, I was homeschooling my son, navigating a contentious court process, and caring for my mom, who had cancer.
I graduated anyway.
I got my first client. Then another. I’ve been running Ali Jones Studio, my graphic and web design business, for ten years now. Most of my clients still come through word of mouth, which I like to think says something about the work.
Why Creative Geek Design Exists
A while back, the craft world shifted. My SVG shop got quiet, and I got honest with myself about where I actually wanted to go. I’d spent a decade helping businesses look good — polished websites, social media that actually converted, branding that felt intentional. And I kept running into the same gap:
Small business owners and creators who needed a professional-looking design but couldn’t afford to hire someone for every single thing.
So in May 2026, I relaunched Creative Geek Design completely. Now the shop is full of Canva templates, business documents, branding assets, social media kits, planners, and digital tools — all designed by an actual graphic designer with ten years of professional experience. Not AI-generated. Not PLR. Made by a human who genuinely cares that your business looks as good as it actually is.
The tagline says it all: “Look professional without hiring a designer.”
So That’s Me
A creative geek. A designer who learned DOS before she learned Illustrator. A paper crafter who pivoted to pixels. Someone who will cheerfully overthink a colour palette, binge a crime documentary, and make excellent coffee — sometimes all at the same time.
If you’re a small business owner or creator who wants your brand to look intentional and professional without spending your whole budget on a designer — this shop is literally built for you.
Come browse. Stay a while. And if you have questions, just send me a message. I’m always happy to help — or at least point you in the right direction with a side of sarcasm and a strong opinion about fonts.
— Ali ✨
Browse the shop at creativegeekdesign.com
Follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook & TikTok: @creativegeekdesign