Tamarac residents Kristina Petersen and Daniel Duva with a logo they created {Courtesy}
Sometimes, the most troubling of times can lead to something positive.
Such is the case with a new Tamarac business created and launched in 2025. The journey began with Daniel Duva, a Colombian native and trained graphic designer, who came to the United States nine years ago. Four years ago, he became an American citizen.
Although trained in graphic design, he found it hard at first to find a job that utilized his creative talents and had to take other jobs.
Enter Kristine Petersen, originally from New Jersey, who relocated to South Florida. Her impressive resume includes many years of working for Fortune 500 companies.
What happened next came quite naturally. “We met and fell in love,” Petersen said, “and I saw his talent.”
Fast forward life’s clock to 2024. That’s when times got rough for the young couple. Duva was diagnosed with an advanced form of stage-4 metastatic prostate cancer. “It had already spread to my lymph nodes,” Duva said. And being only 41 years of age when the illness struck, Duva said many of his doctors told him he had been the youngest case they’d ever seen with this severity. “It was a pretty scary time,” he added.
Thankfully, he responded well to the various modes of treatment he received, including chemo and radiation therapies, and today he is in complete remission with no sign of detectable cancer on scanning. However, he does have to remain vigilant and have periodic blood tests.
The entire episode opened both their eyes to what’s really important. “We realized the importance of community,” he said. “We wanted to give back to the community.”
That’s also when he realized life is short and you have to live your dreams. Petersen quit her steady employment, and together they co-founded their new business, Daniel Duva Design, in 2025.
The Tamarac couple poured all Duva’s creativity into their new business. Daniel Duva Design is a concept built solely on real human creativity. They avoid using AI when working with their clients. “A lot of the businesses we help, these are real people,” Petersen said. “We build a personal connection with our clients.”
Daniel Duva Design offers a wide array of creative services to its business customers. Their graphic design studio doesn’t believe in a one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approach. Instead, they craft fully personalized designs that reflect a customer’s vision, values, and goals.
“We have built a collaboration relating to all our clients,” Duva said. Among their services are branding using multiple logos, graphics (including printing, social media, and packaging), photography, specialized design, and illustration.
Plus, in October, they will be holding a dual-purpose event in which the work they have done for their clients will be showcased before the public. “It’s a celebration of us as well as them,” said Duva.
The event will also feature something of a more personal flavor they’d like to share with their customers and friends: their wedding.
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