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Our History

Every organization has a story. Ours gave us the tools we need – so we can help you tell yours.

Our HistoryLeslie Walters Smith is the Managing Partner of Heron Design. She expands her capabilities with a network of freelance professionals.


I’m a single mom to three almost-grown sons (my youngest is a senior in high school), a German Shepherd and a grumpy old cat. In my free time, I spend as much time as I can outdoors, preferably on the water in my kayak, or on a trail in the woods.

In the late 1980s, I was privileged to join a group of college students who worked with Adobe on the beta testing for Pagemaker, the precursor to InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. We learned the psychology behind design – the way colors, fonts, and shapes work together to create a mood and tone – then used the computer to bring it to life.

It put me at the forefront of technology, and taught me to embrace marketing tools and tech whenever possible.

When the internet first became a thing, I was again at the right place at the right time: I oversaw the project to create the first website templates for the 160 publicly-owned power companies in the Tennessee Valley. A few years later, a client tossed several websites to me to ‘figure out’ the then-brand new WordPress platform. That one took a lot of late nights and more swearing than I’d like to admit, but 12 years later, I know WordPress inside and out – and I’m grateful for the experience.

I started The Heron Company in 2001 – we restructured and rebranded in 2017 to become Heron Design. Since then, I’ve built over 200 websites, designed countless logos and branding packages, and written well over a million words of persuasive marketing copy. I can pull all of the above into effective marketing systems and sales funnels, with ad campaigns, landing pages, autoresponders, and follow-up emails. I’ve learned, to quote Marie Forleo, that “everything is figureoutable.”

Most of our clients are either small business owners or nonprofits, and I love working with both. At its core, successful marketing tells a story, with a strategy to make sure that story gets in front of the right audience, in a way that also fits the resources and strengths of the organization. Figuring out how to do that is where we excel.

Need help telling your story? We can help you find the right way to do it.

~Leslie Walters Smith

Our History

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open quotation mark - testimonialI’ve worked with Leslie for nearly 10 years, involving several of our business entities: Chattanooga Magazine and Chattanooga Market. Her thorough understanding of design, branding and marketing allowed us to seamlessly move from project to project, no matter what the subject. And, her maturity and terrific communications skills drive the process effectively from beginning to end. – Melissa L

open quotation mark - testimonialBetween redoing our logo and overhauling our website, we love our brand new look. You are awesome to work with! – Elizabeth K

open quotation mark - testimonialI have had the privilege of working with Leslie to create a new website for our company from the ground up. Working and learning from Leslie has been an absolute blessing and great experience. She truly cares about her clients and works hard to set them up for success! I have had to reach out and lean on her multiple times after going live and she has always made time for me. I have no doubt that she does the same for each and every one of her clients and she will do the same for you! – Bo G