Are you brand foundations in place? This episode is with Maura Day, founder of design studio MDRNHAND who is also a surface designer at Crate & Barrel. We’re going behind-the-scenes into how she started to create her own company, as well as into details about what it’s like to be a smaller part of a large, corporate brand. By looking at both her business and the corporation she works for we’re really able to examine the basics of what branding really is and why setting solid foundations is so critical to everything else that you do. We’ll look at some different ways you can do this and how it will set you up for success.

Topics we cover:

— Finding your mantra for your business
— The core elements of your brand that you need to understand before you even begin thinking about your visual identity
— The role her husband played in developing her brand
— Maura’s experience of maintaining the brand story of a large corporate company
— The challenges she’s experienced when it’s come to growing her personal brand and helping to grow a large, corporate brand
— The importance of creating a clear picture of your ideal customer
— The clarity Maura gained by creating a manifesto for her business
— Learning to be discerning about the freelance work you take on
— Weaving your story authentically into your brand rather than explicitly sharing it with every product you sell
— Don’t forget to go to Audibletrial.com/PinegateRoad and sign up for your free trial

Show Links:

— Crate & Barrel
— This is Us
— Get your free audio book from Audible

Tweet it!

Tweet: “Branding is this visual language. It’s so much more than a logo. It needs to tell your story.” https://ctt.ec/9UBLv+

Tweet: “You need to grow in an appropriate way for your brand.” https://ctt.ec/18yMe+

Tweet: All of the little things come together to tell a story to your customer. https://ctt.ec/7d09U+

Tweet: Your brand needs to be consistent across all platforms and setting strong foundations allows you to achieve that. https://ctt.ec/91pG0+

Tweet: “This brand needs to scream me because this is what they’re going to get.” https://ctt.ec/P0OaU+

Maura’s Manifesto:

WE BELIEVE YOUR PERSONALITY IS THE MUSE.

WE BELIEVE PAPER HAS FEELINGS TOO.

WE BELIEVE FOLLOW THE LEADER IS LAME.

WE BELIEVE IN FOLLOWING YOUR VISION.

WE BELIEVE IN HAVING TRUFFLE FRIES FOR DESSERT.

WE BELIEVE IN THOSE WHO CURATE THEIR EVERYDAY

WE BELIEVE IRIS APFEL IS THE ORIGINAL SASHA FIERCE.

WE BELIEVE DESIGN IS AN EXPERIENCE.

WE BELIEVE PLEASING EVERYONE IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA.

WE BELIEVE A DRINK UMBRELLA IS JUST WHAT YOUR CABERNET NEEDED.

WE BELIEVE WORKING TOGETHER IS BETTER THAN WORKING ALONE.

WE BELIEVE IN GOING WITH YOUR GUT.

WE BELIEVE IN PUTTING YOUR MARK ON THINGS. IT’S NOT YOURS UNTIL YOU DO.

Connect with Maura:

— Website
— Instagram

Connect with Pinegate Road:

— Instagram: I’ve been LOVING sharing some daily happenings with the new stories feature — hope you’ll follow along there!
— Pinterest
— Facebook
— Twitter
— Are you interested in becoming a client? Get in touch about working with Pinegate Road to build your brand foundation!