It All Starts In Here

About Me

About Me My journey into graphic and brand design didn’t start the way most people would expect. Before design, before tech, and before Petra Designs, my first love was fashion. Long before I entered or left school, I had always envisioned myself building a fashion brand focused on unique, boutique-standard ready-to-wear pieces. I wasn’t interested in every aspect of fashion; I was very specific about what I wanted. I wanted to create distinctive, thoughtfully designed outfits and be known for them. Around 2021, I began to hear more about tech through a close friend who was already in the space. What started as simple conversations slowly grew into curiosity. I began learning basic computer skills such as Microsoft Word and Excel, and gradually, tech started to feel like a promising path. At that point, I found myself torn between fashion design and tech. If I chose tech, I was particularly drawn to front-end development. Not only because of the opportunities, but because I wanted to create the visual and interactive parts of digital products. I have always loved creating and designing, and front-end development felt like a place where creativity and technology could meet. Later in 2021, my health became a major turning point in my life. I had to slow down and carefully consider what kind of career would be sustainable for me. Stress, physical strain, and mental pressure were no longer things I could ignore, and my health had to come first. During this period, my aunt, who knew how deeply I loved fashion, had an honest conversation with me. She reminded me that tailoring and fashion production are physically demanding, involving long hours of standing, cutting, and constant movement. She was concerned about how that lifestyle could affect my health in the long run and encouraged me to consider a creative career that would be less physically stressful. That conversation changed my perspective. Tech began to feel like a safer and more sustainable option. It was a field where I could still create, design, and express myself without putting my health at risk. I decided to put fashion aside for the time being and focus on building a career in tech, trusting that if fashion was truly meant for me, it would resurface in a different way. My original plan was to become a front-end developer, but I didn’t want to rush the process. I believed that learning graphic design first would give me a strong visual foundation and make the transition into UI/UX and front-end development easier. I had already decided to register for a graphic design class at a nearby cyber café, but that plan changed unexpectedly. That same Sunday, during a church service, a skill acquisition program was announced, and graphic design was one of the courses offered. It felt perfectly timed, and I enrolled immediately. The program lasted four Sundays, and during that time, I was introduced to Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for the first time. Although I had never used these tools before and was more familiar with CorelDRAW, learning Adobe software from the beginning turned out to be a blessing. In a short time, I gained a solid foundation and clarity about the direction I wanted to take. After the classes ended, I continued learning on my own through YouTube tutorials and online resources. I explored different areas of graphic design, including flyers, logos, packaging design, illustration, and photo manipulation. I quickly realized how broad the field of graphic design was, and instead of feeling overwhelmed, I grew more passionate about it. Learning without a mentor or structured system was challenging, but it also gave me freedom. I was able to explore different aspects of design, learn and unlearn, and discover what truly resonated with me. Although I couldn’t afford premium design courses at the time, I stayed committed and consistent. Over time, I began sharing my work on social media, building my Instagram presence, joining design communities, and drawing inspiration from other creatives. With continuous practice and dedication, my skills improved, and my confidence grew. This consistency eventually led to opportunities to work with multiple brands, both locally and globally. What started as curiosity and experimentation gradually became a career. Today, I am the founder of Petra Designs, a brand design studio built from scratch with discipline, consistency, and faith. I have also created a logo and brand identity design course to help aspiring designers learn, grow, and build sustainable creative careers, especially those starting with limited resources. This journey is still unfolding. I am constantly learning, evolving, and scaling, committed to creating meaningful brands, empowering designers, and proving that it is possible to build something impactful from nothing. And this is only the beginning. --- If you want it: * shorter for a homepage * more emotional or more luxury * rewritten in first-person or third-person * or split into sections (Story, Mission, Vision) Just tell me and I’ll refine it further 💛