What HC Designs does

HC Designs is a privately held, founder-owned full-service graphic design and marketing agency headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Founded in July 2004 by Heather Cumens, the company operates with 1-10 employees and provides integrated marketing services including corporate, creative, and responsive mobile web design; search engine optimization; social media campaign setup and management; direct mail design with QR code integration; brochure, publication, and flyer design; and general advertising materials. The technology stack is conventional and legacy, built on PHP, MySQL, and content management systems, with proprietary mobile device detection scripts and e-commerce integrations via PayPal merchant accounts. No AI/ML capabilities are evident in the product or technology base.

The business model is project-based professional services billing. HC Designs provides free quotes and consultations via phone and email, then prices each engagement individually based on scope. Revenue streams include web design projects, print and direct mail campaigns, SEO retainers, and social media management. The go-to-market is direct-to-client with no intermediaries, emphasizing personal relationships and positioning the founder as a senior account handler for every engagement. The company serves a horizontal mix of small to medium-sized businesses, local government and tourism agencies, nonprofits, and a handful of mid-market enterprise clients across Kentucky and Tennessee.

The customer base is diversified across industries (tourism, healthcare, manufacturing, finance, home services, museums, music) with no single client representing a material share of revenue. The company has accumulated 16+ years of portfolio work and one industry award (2012 Ky Traverse Award). There is no external investment, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. HC Designs is a bootstrapped lifestyle agency whose strategic posture is one of stable, regional service provision rather than scale or platform ambition.

Name

HC Designs

Legal name

HC Designs

Website

https://hcdesigns.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HC Designs is a founder-owned, full-service graphic design and marketing agency in Bowling Green, Kentucky, providing web design, SEO, social media, direct mail, and print design services to small and medium-sized businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits across Kentucky and Tennessee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graphic Design and Marketing Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC)

Keywords

• Web design services
• Graphic design agency
• Direct mail marketing
• Search engine optimization
• Brochure design

Headquarters

HQ city

Bowling Green

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Web Design: Custom website design and development services, including corporate websites, responsive/mobile sites, and e-commerce solutions. Billed on a project basis with free quotes provided.
2. Professional Services - Print Design: Brochure design, publication design, flyer/leaflet design, and general advertising materials. One-time project-based pricing.
3. Professional Services - Direct Mail: Direct mail campaign design, including postcards, invitations, EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail), and QR code-integrated pieces.
4. SEO and Digital Marketing Services: Search engine optimization services, on-page and off-page SEO, social media setup and management.
5. Social Media Management: Social media campaign setup and management for platforms including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, and RSS feeds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HC Designs is a full-service graphic design and marketing agency that creates corporate identity systems by integrating web design, responsive/mobile design, SEO, social media setup and management, direct mail campaigns with QR code integration, brochures, publications, and general advertising materials. Projects are custom-built per client and delivered on a per-engagement basis. The firm primarily serves small and mid-sized businesses, government, and non-profit organizations across Kentucky and the Nashville, Tennessee region.

Product overview

HC Designs is a full-service graphic design and marketing agency that operates as a single-service business model rather than a platform architecture. The company provides a comprehensive suite of design services that work together as an integrated marketing offering: core services include Corporate Web Design (corporate websites), Creative Web Design (custom artistic sites), and Good Web Design (quality-focused projects); digital add-ons include Responsive Mobile Web Design (device-optimized mobile experiences), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and Social Media Campaigns (platform setup and management); and traditional advertising services include Direct Mail Services (with QR code integration), Brochure Design (print materials), Publication and Magazine Design (corporate newsletters), and General Advertising/Flyer Design (various print and digital formats). The company specializes in creating an overall corporate identity through the strategic use of these individual service components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Web Design Professional website design and development services for corporate and SMB clients, including website revamps, modern online presence creation, and corporate branding, with featured projects spanning financial services, weatherization, and handyman services.
• Creative Web Design Custom creative website design with artistic flair for clients needing unique visual identities, including kid-friendly designs, retro aesthetics, and e-commerce integration with merchant accounts.
• Good Web Design Quality-focused web design services emphasizing modern technological innovation, search engine optimization, and content management systems for diverse client needs, exemplified by the 2012 Ky Traverse Award-winning Greenville Tourism Commission website.
• Responsive Mobile Web Design Mobile-optimized website design using a responsive approach that automatically adjusts content for optimal viewing across desktop monitors, tablets, and mobile phones, supported by PHP scripting and MySQL database integration for content management.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO services including on-page and off-page optimization, landing page creation, directory listings, article submissions, and YouTube channel setup to improve search engine visibility and ranking for target keyword phrases.
• Social Media Campaigns Social media setup and management services covering platforms including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Podcast, RSS Feed, and Google+ with simplified interfaces designed to make social media 'EASY' for clients.
• Direct Mail Services Direct mail campaign design and production including postcards, information cards, invitations with QR code integration, and multi-piece mailings with interactive elements linking printed pieces to online experiences with rich content.
• Brochure Design Design and printing services for informational brochures, company publications, and sales presentation materials that communicate business information in tangible takeaway formats for SMB, government, and enterprise clients.
• Publication and Magazine Design Magazine and newsletter design services including corporate newsletters and publications used as marketing tools, combining news-driven content with product promotion.
• General Advertising and Flyer Design Advertising design services including newspaper ads, leaflets, flyers, newsletters, Every Door Direct Mail, e-newsletters, email marketing campaigns, and poster design.

Quantifiable outcome

• Greenville Tourism Commission website won 2012 Ky Traverse Awards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Scorpion: Marketing and technology company serving small and medium-sized businesses with web design, digital marketing, video, and AI-enabled solutions. Closest peer in terms of explicit SMB focus and integrated web-plus-marketing offering, though operating nationally rather than regionally.
• The Buntin Group: Nashville, TN-headquartered independent full-service advertising agency providing creative, digital, media, PR, and production services. Direct geographic overlap with HC Designs' Tennessee service area and comparable independent full-service model targeting regional brands.
• Doe-Anderson: Louisville, KY-based independent full-service advertising agency offering advertising, digital, public relations, and media services to regional and national clients. Closest geographic direct peer to HC Designs given the shared Kentucky footprint, multi-channel service mix (web, print, direct, social), and similar target SMB-to-enterprise client base.
• EP+Co: Greenville, SC-based independent agency (formerly Erwin Penland) offering creative, digital, social, and brand-building services. Comparably sized independent shop with an integrated service mix (web, print, social) targeting regional and national consumer and B2B brands — closely mirrors HC Designs' full-service positioning at a slightly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• WebFX: Harrisburg, PA-based digital marketing agency offering web design, SEO, content, and social media services at scale primarily to SMB and mid-market clients. Replicates HC Designs' core web + SEO + social service stack but at substantially greater scale, illustrating the threat of larger, more capitalized operators in the same SMB digital services market.
• The Richards Group: Dallas, TX-headquartered independent advertising agency providing brand strategy, creative, digital, and media services for national brands. Significantly larger than HC Designs but represents the upper bound of the same independent-agency, full-service model — useful as a comparable for capability breadth and brand-building positioning.
• Colle McVoy: Minneapolis, MN-based independent full-service advertising agency offering creative, digital, PR, social, and media planning. Similar independent shop structure with broader service portfolio than HC Designs — a useful mid-tier peer for understanding the natural scale-up path and capability expansion that an agency like HC Designs could pursue.

Regional players

• Lewis Communications: Birmingham, AL-based independent full-service advertising agency with capabilities in creative, digital, public relations, and media. Comparable mid-sized independent agency serving regional and national clients, operating in the same Southeast U.S. corridor as HC Designs but outside its core footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HC Designs