Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon DeCaro.
Hi Sharon, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Twenty years ago, if you’d told me I would be a graphic designer, web developer, artist—founder of See & Make Design, a brand identity firm, I would have asked if I could peer into your crystal ball. But here I am—Sometimes an unexpected door opens and you walk through it to see where it leads. I’ve lived several lives. My story is not linear—it’s circuitous and meandering, filled with starts, stops, and detours.
Growing up in urban Chicago, I was fortunate to be exposed to a rich culture of art, movie theaters, architecture, sports, and an eclectic mélange of ethnic foods. I was a precocious child: crafty, inquisitive, and adventurous—sometimes to my detriment. When I was five, I swerved on my 16-inch bike, hitting the pavement. That injury caused me to miss part of first grade. Around the age of seven, I had my first lemonade stand and also sold Girl Scout cookies. Even at that young age, I saw the value of branding and design. With my lemon yellow Crayola crayon, I colored a small whiteboard. With a black marker, I wrote in bold letters, “SHARON’S LEMONADE only 5 cents.” What I didn’t realize at the time was that I possessed an innate design sense and over the course of my life experienced firsthand how heredity has a hand in shaping who we are.
On my 18th birthday, my mother revealed to me that I was adopted. In the blink of an eye, I had a new personal identity. I went from being Sharon DeCaro to Baby Girl Keegan. That information sent me reeling down a rabbit hole. I didn’t realize how this new identity would shape my life and guide me to design.
Years later, I found my birth mother. She told me the story of Baby Girl Keegan. I was Irish, German, and Mexican, which explained my love for Mexican food, its culture, and the ease with which I learned the Spanish language. It further showed me why I loved Celtic music, my attraction to Boston, my darker complexion, and my full lips. I also learned that my half-sister had studied graphic design and later received her BFA in painting at Chicago’s Museum of the Art Institute. As I listened, I could feel a dark room filling with light. She informed me that my birth father and grandfather had roots in Arizona, California, and Texas. A few months later, I met my birth father and half-brother. I learned that my birth father loved the southwest, ranching, and football. He talked about his business and his entrepreneurial success. I was exhilarated to see that I had inherited his entrepreneurial spirit when I started my own design firm and how my genes had directed my life path. I also learned my uncle had been an electrical engineer, that my California cousins were tech geniuses, allowing me to connect the dots between my passion for art and design with my attraction to web development and all things tech.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The obstacles and challenges that I faced were too numerous to mention but I overcame all of them. I encountered them growing up and then later when I did a mid-life career pivot. Looking back, my path has not been easy. I took a circuitous route and see obstacles as life lessons. I learned that the joy is in the journey wherever it takes us and that fills me with gratitude.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As for work, that came about serendipitously in 2007. While on a break from a patent law class at UCSD extension, I discovered a wall showcasing the work of the graphic design students. Captivated by the typography, shapes, and colors, it was at that moment, that I knew I’d found my passion.
The next week I enrolled in the Graphic Design Program at San Diego City College. While there, I was lucky to study under Candice Lopez, Design Educator and AIGA medalist. As a mid-life career changer, I was grateful for her support and tutelage. She empowered me with confidence and helped me find my design voice. My focus areas were brand identity design, logo design, typography, illustration, package design, and hospitality design.
As for my business, I started freelancing. When I got the opportunity to work for Resort Impressions, a company that designs promotional materials for some of the biggest hotels and resorts in the hospitality industry, I jumped on it. My experience there led me to restaurant branding. I was excited when Beach Grass Cafe, a Solana Beach, CA restaurant hired me to do a rebrand for them, which included shooting food photos, designing menus, marketing collateral, and developing their website. They also made food products and sold them at their restaurant. I used my package design skills to showcase their delicious granola, jams, butter, and other food products. This led to another restaurant client brand project. Other businesses started approaching me to help them and my direction changed from people-centric brand design to working with tech businesses until I moved to Austin.
In 2017, when I moved to Austin, seeing all the great restaurants, food/beverage products, the originality and uniqueness that is Austin, I knew I wanted to turn my focus from tech/business to more people-centric products, such as food & beverage design, restaurant branding and consumer packaged goods (CPG) so I transitioned from DeCaro Media Lab and created a new brand identity: See & Make Design. The business name is a nod to what we do. We dive deep into the problems our clients are facing and communicate their brand in a special and personalized manner. “We see your vision and we make it happen.”
In 2021, ignited by my childhood passion for drawing, I immersed myself in illustration classes at Austin Community College. Drawing and painting spark an insatiable creative flow of ideas and design concepts that push my creative limits, which I bring to each client’s project. I dig deep to find the client’s brand voice and vision and develop a unique brand concept that connects with the consumer and elevates the way customers feel about the client’s business and product.
Here are some of our services at See & Make Design. Yes, we design logos, branding systems, packaging, websites, and a whole lot more, but we’re centered on the idea that thoughtful strategy and collaborative insights make creativity connect with an audience. We love working with people-centric brands and restaurant and food truck brand design. Our experience in the food industry gives us insight and lights me up! Making people happy, making their vision a reality, and helping them achieve business success is my reason for being.
I invite you to explore our website and our LinkedIn page to view projects and client recommendations. We’re also offering discounted branding packages (logo design, website development, brand guides, and more) for those future clients who mention this Voyage Austin article. Whether you’re an individual, a small business, or an agency, if you have an idea for a food product or beverage, if you have a food truck, if your restaurant brand design needs a refresh, or you just want to ask questions, reach out to us for a free 30-minute consultation. We’d love to hear about your project so we can see your vision and make it happen!
Contact Info:
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Email: hello@seeandmake.com
Website: https://seeandmake.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/see.and.make.design/
Twitter: @seeandmakedesign
Phone: 5128504497
Image Credits:
David Wells photographed Sharon DeCaro’s personal mages. Design and artwork images by Sharon DeCaro
