It started with a blank canvas, a brush, and an idea. Just a few strokes and a splash of color later, it became a brand.  

Penn State junior Jenna Vitale never thought that the canvases she created in her paint-splattered basement would evolve into much. Today, Vitale’s designs can be seen on phone cases of students at Penn State and other college campuses. Each phone case is a product of Vitale’s business, Vii Studios.  

“It is all original art that started off as mixed media on canvases I painted in my basement,” Vitale said. “My basement at home is filled with paint and canvases. It is always a mess. My mom hates it.”  

Vitale’s first canvas art was intended for her college dorm room, but it didn’t make it out of the basement until a year later, when she was inspired to put the paintings to good use.  

“I wanted to make something for my freshman dorm room, and so I painted these huge canvases and later realized they weren’t going to fit in my dorm room. At the end of freshman year, I was showing my friends the paintings, and they all loved them and started encouraging me to do something with them,” Vitale explained. “I started brainstorming ideas for what I could do, and I thought of phone cases because I had seen other people making them.”  

In attempts to start spreading the word about Vii Studios, Vitale made her first phone case designs for each of her friends. In the process, she got the idea to base her designs on her friends and their personalities.  

“I started creating different designs inspired by my friends so that each design has meaning behind it,” Vitale said. “I feel like that is what makes my designs so special, because there is motivation behind them. I am not just putting random things on a canvas because it looks cool.”  

For Vitale, creating art with character is something she is passionate about. Having personal meaning behind her art is one way she presents character through her designs. Another is through subtle imperfections.  

“I like to create the designs physically on canvas because I think they turn out better. I like that you can see the paint strokes and the imperfections because it makes it more creative,” Vitale said. “A lot of people don’t believe me when I say that I made the designs on canvas until I point out the imperfections and the places I messed up. I think it just gives the cases personality.”   

Vitale is always looking for ways to make her art as personal and meaningful to her as possible. She knew that if she wanted her art to reflect her, the name of her business would have to as well.  

“In high school, I had a guy friend, and he would always yell Jen Vii at me across the hallways, so I made my Instagram handle Jen Vii. After I decided I wanted to use the canvases to start my own business, I was trying to think of names for the business,” Vitale said. “I just kept coming back to Vii Studios. I never thought it would stick, but now all my friends call me Vii instead of Jenna.”  

While Vii Studios reflects Vitale and her Pinterest board, at its heart, Vii Studios is about finding ways to express your own creativity.  

“I want to inspire people to keep their creativity up as they get older and go into the professional world. You know, you could be wearing a boring outfit, but you can have a phone case that allows you to still express your creativity,” Vitale said.  

As she focuses on her career goals, Vitale isn’t exactly sure what the future holds for Vii Studios. But if there is one thing she has learned, it is that she will never stop creating art.  

“I think Vii Studios has become a part of me, and it’s weird to imagine my life without it,” Vitale said. “I feel like it is important to have something for myself, so even if I don’t drop more designs, I will always continue to make designs for fun.”   

For more information or to shop Vii Studios, you can visit them on Instagram @vii.studioss.