Melissa Levenson
Connection: I started following an influencer/business owner years ago (Sivan Ayla) and always thought her branding and web design was so beautiful, among all the content and products she produces. Once I started putting small pieces of my business idea together, I just had to know who the creative was behind her aesthetic, and thankfully she shared the deets. Enter Melissa Levenson. Not only does she have a rich history of branding and graphic deign, she runs her own business, is a new mom, and graciously accepted my ask at featuring her on the iivy. If you have a moment, check out her website - she is constantly at the corner of trending and timeless, so if you need a graphic designer she is your girl.
Name: Melissa Levenson
Location: Philly
Self-Description: Creative Director + Founder, Melissa Harans Studio
Words to live by: Work hard and be nice to people.
On health & wellness
What is something you changed in your life, to change your life for the better? Downloading Boomerang - it's an app that, among other features, pauses your inbox on a set schedule. I have it pause mine on nights and weekends, so that it forces me to unplug from work. Balance is so important when running a business, and it can be extremely hard to hold myself accountable and to actually take time away from work to focus on myself and life outside of my studio.
What advice, inspiration, or motivation can you share to encourage someone to move their body? Focusing on what feels good is what I've found to be the best motivation to take care of my body, rather than specific physical goals. For me, it's so much easier to keep up with healthy lifestyle choices when the goal is a feeling rather than a number. When I'm getting 10k steps a day and working out 4x a week that is when I feel the best - I sleep better, I have more energy, I am happier, and feel most confident.
What is your favorite health and/or wellness product? My oura ring! I was eying it for a while and ended up purchasing it on Black Friday 2 years ago, but I would pay full price over and over again. Not to be dramatic, but I can not imagine life without it! It keeps me in tune with my body and how I'm feeling, and has been incredible for stress management, too. One of my earliest learnings from the ring was that each morning when I opened my email, my heart rate shot up. Of course, this wasn't a big surprise - I've heard tips before to take time before engaging with screens in the morning - but actually seeing the physical effect logged on my ring was an ah-ha moment for me. Along those lines, in terms of movement, I love how it tells me not just when to get up and push myself, but also when to slow down.
What is your favorite thing to do with your girlfriends? If we are taking just with the girls - a dinner, on a weekday, when the husbands stay home with the kids (sorry Russ and Logan!). It's such a nice way to break up the week and take a moment for ourselves, plus it's much less stressful to find free weeknights than weekdays. I'm in a phase of life where if it takes too much energy to plan, it takes away from the fun of the activity itself.
On business
Tell us about your business. I'm the Founder and Creative Director of Melissa Harans Studio, a boutique graphic design studio that services women-led businesses, with a strong focus on influencers and entrepreneurs in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands. Our services are divided into three core areas: branding, website design and development, and ongoing design support. While many clients engage us for all three services and develop long-term partnerships, we also offer bookings for singular services, particularly when there's potential for ongoing collaboration. With a background in marketing, I take pride in creating thoughtful designs that go beyond aesthetics—they deliver results. As a team, we believe that strong client relationships, combined with a deep understanding of each client’s unique brand and goals, are the foundation of successful design.
Were you always interested in graphic design or did you fall into it? As early as high school, I started saying I wanted to pursue graphic design, and as my career evolved, I became interested in the idea of working for myself, especially so in terms of the flexibility it would offer me with motherhood. My path to where I am today was definitely not linear. I pursued writing for a while, worked for Adobe and then at a digital marketing firm, before landing a job at Free People which really put me in the creative space I am in now in terms of aesthetic. From there, I built up freelance on the side until I was able to take it full time in 2020. Today, the studio (which holds my maiden name of Harans), has grown to a bustling studio with a "pinch me" client roster. I've gotten to work alongside women I admire and never dreamed of meeting, let alone seeing their names in my inbox asking me if I would take them on as a client!
What is your favorite part of your work? This is easy: working alongside other women to bring their business goals to life, and in return, bringing mine to life, too.
What advice would you give someone who is looking to get into the same industry? I strongly believe the path to success is built on passion. Chase what you enjoy doing rather than a dollar sign or an accolade. Find the career ladder that excites you and climb it! I turned down many opportunities early on in my career, even if it meant taking financial risks, because they didn't excite me. I'm so glad I did, because it led me to where I am today!
All favorable mentions are linked below with a brief description
What is the best type of gift to give, or a go-to one for you? I love giving gifts. I actually have a running note on my phone with friends and family names and am constantly adding gift ideas to it for each person. Which leads me to my somewhat cliche answer: the best gift is an intentional, thoughtful gift. Something that when you saw it, you immediately thought of that person specifically, rather than a forced idea in the moment or something that came from a generalized "gift ideas" list online. What do you never leave the house without? A water bottle! I'm always, always drinking water. I typically will try a new one every few months, and recently caved to the Stanley craze, but am not loving how it doesn't seal. I actually have an alternate lid in my Amazon cart for it, but if anyone has other recs, please send my way! Current playlist: Oh gosh, Sparrow Sleeps playlist is going to be my entire Spotify recap this year, thanks to welcoming my son in May. It's a playlist that takes pop songs (anything from Blink 182 to Taylor Swift) and turns them into lullabies. Along these lines, we've been trying to be more mindful about the music we play around the house, and "Alexa, play Mozart" is now part of my morning routine. It's such relaxing, inspiring background music, whether I'm doing dishes, concepting a new design, or working on a proposal. Podcast: I might be biased because she's a client, but I love The Blonde Files by Arielle Lorre. Book recommendation: I read Lessons in Chemistry last summer, by coincidence, just before the show came out on Apple TV. It's a story about a woman who chases her passion and really makes something for herself, so of course I loved it. It's a super easy beach read, but without being silly (although it did make me laugh a few times). I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but the show was just not it. Skip the show, read the book. Makeup product: Ilia tinted moisturizer. Wore it on my wedding day! Skincare product: Elemis cleaning balm - I also like to gua sha with it. Small business we should support: Wilde House Paper. My good friend and former Free People coworker started this company 6 years ago, and they make such beautiful paper goods. I have their artwork in my home, and love gifting their products to people. Recipe: My new favorite thing for baking and cooking is to tell chat gpt what I'm in the mood for along with what groceries I have. You can have a conversation with it to modify like "make it healthier" or "make it crunchy." Here's a cookie recipe it wrote for me last night:
Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, depending on preference)
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or dark)
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped nuts (e.g., walnuts, pecans)
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, coconut sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until well combined. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in the shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts (if using). Scoop out the dough using a tablespoon or cookie scoop and place it onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown but the centers are still soft. The cookies will continue to cook slightly as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Want to follow Melissa?
Website: melissaharans.com
Instagram: @melissaharans
Email: design@melissaharans.com