Owning it from the first look.
Your style. Your objectives.
Small Hat Studio is all about eye-catching and memorable creative. Our work grabs attention, sets the perfect tone, and delivers your message from the very first look.
Individuals, small businesses, and large organizations turn to Small Hat Studio for highly creative graphic design that lives in the real world. Our work makes you say OMG without making your wallet cry WTH.
I don’t get it. Where are the hats?
We do wear a lot of hats – both figuratively and literally. Our collection includes a design beret, an illustration cap, a writing fedora, a project manager bowler, a business development porkpie, and a finance visor. But we don’t actually make or sell hats.
Our name was inspired by the saying “Big hat, no cattle.” While the “big hats” spend their time, money, and energy making themselves look impressive, we are busy making great work that helps you shine. In other words, we don’t care about fancy office space and swanky trappings. We focus on doing great work that will do all the bragging for us.
One team. Many different hats.
Owned and operated by Eric Venegas with the help of Karen Blocher and Alexandra Duron, Small Hat Studio is a creative design firm that combines low overhead, pragmatic business savvy, and high creativity to achieve exceptional design. Check out our creative portfolio section to see what we mean.
Eric R. Venegas, Owner
Eric Venegas, MFA, is a multi-disciplinary visual communication professional who wears many hats—figuratively speaking. On any given day and at any given time, he is the owner of Small Hat Studio, a designer, illustrator, art director, writer, production manager, or customer service representative. Eric collaborates with other creatives—including copywriters, photographers, and developers—to achieve his clients' goals as needed.
In Eric’s professional career, he has worked with clients from various industries, including mass-market and luxury retail, luxury automotive, human resources, restaurant and hospitality, fitness, legal, dental, non-profit, and start-up. The creative needs of his clients range from wearables to collateral and packaging, web design to large-format graphics, and everything in between.
For over 25 years, Eric’s peers have recognized him as a seasoned design professional. However, more recently, he has entered the world of academia. Eric is passionate about bringing the same enthusiasm he displays in the boardroom into the classroom to educate the next generation of graphic designers. When he is not designing, Eric teaches at Texas A&M University – Commerce, where he received his MFA in 2022. As an instructor, Eric has taught classes in VisCom Branding, Creative Thinking, and Introduction to Visual Communication. His academic research interests include increasing the number of Black and Latinx students in design through art forms such as graffiti and muralism.
He lives in East Dallas with his wife, Katherine, their two dogs, Charlie and Pickle, and their cat, Iona.
Karen Blocher, Designer
Karen Blocher, BFA, is a creative problem solver. As a graphic designer at Small Hat Studio, she brings fresh eyes and new perspectives to design challenges.
While in college, Karen apprenticed for two years at Brass Tacks Collective, where she worked for a wide range of clients, from Dallas corporations to small businesses and non-profits. Her experiences include such services as branding, social media graphics, wearables, and event collateral.
Karen is a 2023 graduate of Texas A&M University – Commerce, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in Design. In her graduating semester, she studied Cross-Cultural Design to expand her marketability outside the U.S.
She lives North of Dallas with her cat, Nyx.
Alexandra Duron, Assistant
Alex Duron, BS, is a multi-talented brand manager and strategist with a discerning eye for design and an unwavering commitment to creativity. She brings over a decade of experience in merchandising, marketing, design, sales, and project management to Small Hat Studio.
Alex’s career began in the fashion industry, working as a showroom assistant in Milan, Italy, where she cultivated a passion for style. She went on to hone her sales skills at Tom Ford, where she served as a wholesale specialist. Later, she transitioned into more creative roles, working in web design, branding, photography, and social media content management. Alex's versatile skill set, adaptability, and dedication to exceeding expectations bring value to Small Hat Studio and its clients. Whether collaborating with the design team to produce captivating visuals or engaging with customers to deliver exceptional service, Alex brings her unique perspective and steadfast drive for excellence to every facet of her work.
Alex holds a Bachelor of Science in Product Development from the University of Arkansas. She lives in Dallas with her dog, Nicolo.
Doing good work for good people is good business.
See if Small Hat Studio is the right fit for your design needs.