Launched in 2018, Avila.Diana is a greetings card company that exists to “represent the underrepresented”. But the journey here wasn’t always an easy one for its founder Avila Diana Chidume.

When she was a kid, Avila was always doodling. When special occasions came around – birthdays, holidays, and such – she’d design her own greetings cards for family and friends. She’d label each one with the same signature: Avila Diana’s Card Company.

As she grew older, though, life started getting in the way. By the time Avila made it to university to study law, art had completely fallen by the wayside. However, as her degree progressed and the work intensified, she found herself struggling.“Unfortunately at the time I didn’t feel comfortable or confident enough to reach out for help,” she remembers.

The need for a creative outlet was greater than ever. In response, she found herself recalling the greetings cards she’d made all those years ago and jumped back in. Soon after, Avila.Diana was founded.

As a consumer, Avila was sick of picking up cards that didn’t represent or speak to her experiences. In direct response, her work seeks to normalise the inclusion of underrepresented groups – people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, those living with disabilities – in popular designs.

Since then, the business has grown and grown. Now, through the help of 99designs by Vistaprint, Avila is gearing up for the next stage of her journey. Avila.Diana is transitioning from a brand to a platform that will stock the work of designers doing similar work in terms of diversification. The financial grant that Avila will receive as part of the collaboration will accelerate that, while the design makeover will help demonstrate its evolution.

By Design is an editorial series created with 99designs by Vistaprint, in which all participating businesses receive a design makeover, as well as a financial grant to help them embark on their next chapter. Read more stories from the series here.

Take a look at the other 99 small business design makeovers on 99 Days Of Design.

The new Avila.Diana logo was created by ms.logolady on 99designs by Vistaprint.

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