Hi, I'm Ashley Kimlinger.
MEET OUR FOUNDER
I'm a graphic designer who's been honing my niche in presentation design for the past 15 years. My chosen career is design, but I grew up a writer who just happened to dabble in art. I love telling stories and intended to go into PR. But life had another plan for me! Before I knew it, not only was I designer by trade, I was a presentation designer to boot – a kismet turn that would combine all my loves. Now I design while obsessing over capitalization, punctuation and sentence structure!
I'm passionate about making sure your brand looks its best, even (or you might say "especially") in presentations.
As a green production designer in my early 20's, I stumbled into the world of presentation design. When none of the other designers wanted to touch PowerPoint, I was young and willing and quickly discovered I had a knack for it. I spent time in corporate as the in-house presentation expert, attending presentation conferences and reading all the presentation books.
Still forging my career, I set off to add to my skills. I spent a decade in other roles: marketing; graphic design; brand management; creative direction. In those roles, I observed time and again how beautiful brands fell apart in PowerPoint.
As my career grew, I designed presentations less and less – and itched more than ever to put my expert touch on them. So, in 2019, I quit my corporate gig to find more balance in my life and get back to what I love: presentation design.
I know what it's like to work inside a big company and all the ways presentations get used (and how they proliferate). I use that knowledge to balance my passion for beautiful, branded presentations with a pragmatic and practical approach to content. No matter the content or the stage, your deck can look it's branded best.
Proud to be a certified presentation specialist through the presentation guild
On the personal side
I live in the Southeast suburbs of the Twin Cities of Minnesota with my husband and two young boys. You can typically find me with my nose stuck in a book, but aside from that, I love lazy weekend mornings, doing projects on my home and spending too much time on Instagram. I grew up in Lakeville, Minnesota, and graduated from the University of St. Thomas.
THE TEAM
Devon Block
Devon is one of those people who is endlessly curious, who designs for fun in her free time (typically inspired by a recent camping trip somewhere new) and the person you always want on your team. Why? Because she is super talented, a phenomenal collaborator, and an absolute sponge. She is also a lot of fun. Devon is a fellow former Deluxer with 10+ years of graphic design and creative direction experience, with a particular passion for brand design. She loves to spend the summers in her camper with her boyfriend and their adorable dog, Molly (who is also a frequent visitor on Zooms).
Sr. Graphic Designer
what to expect when you
work with us
impeccable design
strong writing
strategic thinking
great communication
organized & on it
kind humans!
"SlideShine is a best-in-class resource! Not only do they do incredible work, they are professional and can navigate the often complex nature of working on executive presentations. Ashley herself is very astute, asks great questions and is resourceful. We gave her a complex project with lots of moving parts and within a tight timeframe. The process and end work was perfect. She is a delight to work with as well!"
APRIL ANSLINGER
Global Chief Marketing Officer, Self Esteem Brands
"SlideShine was efficient, smart and an absolute pleasure to work with. They have a keen eye for design and helped to make this template work hard and look fantastic for our client."
BRIDGET DUFFY
Duffy, branding agency for Bloomington Tourism (MN)
"As a growth stage start up with a small marketing team, we rely heavily on contractor support. This crew is one or our best. They are incredibly responsive, deliver on time, go the extra mile to cover when our team doesn't have time/resources, and have helped my team and my company show up like we have bigger teams and pocketbooks."
SARAH KALHORN
chief marketing officer, guardhat
"Ashley is truly a design unicorn. It’s rare to find such a skilled designer who infuses each project with creativity and passion, while also encouraging teams to think differently about new ways the design can help meet overall goals."
MARY PREVOST
Owner, Prevost Partners
"Not only did our team enjoy working with the SlideShine team, but our not always easy-to-please client was excited about the the work they did. They did a fantastic job! We look forward collaborating again soon on other projects."
LAURA LOWERY
Sr. Director, Head of Creative, Global Gateway Advisors
"SlideShine has a knack for running with a little bit of direction and delivering a superior product that is always spot on. They gave our organization the tools needed to present ourselves in a polished and professional manner."
JULIE HALGREN
VP, Marketing, Nexben
"SlideShine took our basic vision for a presentation and made it brilliant. Thank you for helping our audience see our work with the visual polish and professionalism that reflects our passion and expertise."
Jenny Eldredge
Executive Director, Bellis
"The creativity, knowledge, patience and delivery exceeded my expectations. The business I work in is complex, but SlideShine took the time to deeply understand my vision and bring it to life."
LISA BETH LENTINI
cEO, lumen worldwide endeavors
"SlideShine asked great questions to truly understand the needs and goals of the project and bring the message to life so beautifully through design. They were just unbelievably easy to work with, efficient and talented."
AMANDA BRINKMAN
Speaker and Founder of Sunshine Studios