Hey, I'm Saara - a multi-disciplined freelance designer & creative design studio owner based in Ely, Cambridgeshire. With over 5 years of freelance experience, I've specialised in retail & graphic design for small businesses and international clients!
Atelier Saara Karvonen is a freelance creative design studio. I'm Saara, a Finnish designer and the founder of ATSK. I lived in Switzerland for 20 years where I studied interior design, and founded ATSK at the end of 2019, when I moved to the UK. It started as an online portfolio for my freelance work - fast forward to today, ​and I've been working on many exciting projects! I've had the opportunity to assist the launch of many new products over the years, creating exciting window displays worldwide, visual merchandising guidelines, creating digital and print designs as well as assisting photo shoots.
In 2024, after leaving my part-time coffee shop job to become a full-time freelancer, I decided to launch an online shop / prop hire with everything I’ve loved over the years! Embarking on the journey of a shop owner is an extension of being a designer - fun and vintage pieces, colourful prints and all the homeware you’ll need for dinner parties and more. Focusing on beautifully crafted items, the shop celebrates European design mixed with vintage, connecting the makers and designers with you!
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Graphic Design
Print Design + Digital Content + Visual Content Creation + Branding + Visual Identity + Logo Design + Packaging Design + Photoshop Editing
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Retail Design
Concepts + Visual Merchandising + Styling + Window Displays + 2D/3D Visualisations + Specifications + Guidelines + Event Layout and Planning
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Clients
Memo Paris + L'Occitane + Floraiku Paris + Justin Alexander + Hermetica​
Have a project in mind or need freelance help with your brand? Send some details about your project to saara@ateliersaarakarvonen.com
Follow my work @ateliersaarakarvonen
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What's the difference between ATSK and freelance?Atelier Saara Karvonen is the business name behind both the freelance work and the creative design studio. The scope of work in both cases is the same, working on all design aspects. For now, freelancing funds the creative design studio + shop, until the day I can work myself with freelancers within my design studio.
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Why working with a freelance designer?Working with me as a freelance designer offers several advantages: Flexibility: Flexible schedules, allowing for quicker turnaround times and availability when you need it. Depending on the scope of work, projects can be delivered in less than a week. Cost-Effective: Hiring a freelancer can be more affordable than bringing on a full-time employee, especially for short-term projects, or on regular basis for spikes in workload. Compared to hiring, working with a freelancer allows for quicker decision-making to bring the project to life. Diverse Skill Sets: Range of experiences across different industries, from graphic design to retail design, or helping you organise your trade show. Quick Scaling: If you have a temporary spike in workload, hiring a freelancer can help you scale your resources quickly without long-term commitments. Creative Collaboration: Bringing unique creative approaches to your brand. Collaborating with me as a freelance designer is a great way to add a designer in the team without the commitment of full-time employee, creating work tailored to your brands specific needs, working in a short time frame.
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How much do I charge?When working on projects, I charge an hourly rate depending on the scope of work and the softwares I will be using to complete the project. There are different ways for us to collaborate together: Per hour - remote: Working from home on various projects, the hourly rate varies according to the softwares I use to complete the work. Quotes can be sent beforehand, or we can agree on a monthly billing system. Day rate - remote: Book me in for a specific design task, or a variety of tasks within the 8 hour day slot. Day rates are beneficial for brands to work on a lower hourly rate, but projects have to be pre-agreed beforehand. Day rate - in-person: Based on an 8 hour day slot, I can travel on site to help with events, photoshoots or any design task that requires me on site. Travel is always charged separately on top of the day rate.
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Ordering & delivery (ATSK pieces)Send me an email to place your order! I will set up a payment link and once the order is confirmed, I will email you with an estimated delivery time and shipping cost. Pieces can be purchased or hired - if hiring, let me know the hiring period, location and delivery expectations. Shipping costs are calculated based on the weight of the products you are ordering. If you prefer to collect your order (purchase or hire) from Ely, Cambridgeshire, let me know and we can arrange a collection date. Please note that hired pieces are subject to a Terms & conditions document to be signed before placing the final order.