Aaron Gonzalez
Brand Strategist / Creative Director
Dallas, TX
Q What do you do?
“I sit down with founders & help them define why anyone should give a damn about what they do.”
Specifically, I am a brand strategist who uses storytelling & market insights to create compelling strategies (beliefs & actions, positioning, messaging, customer journey maps, competitive analysis, or whatever else is useful) that serve as a brand's north star. They inform how the company's culture, identity, and products look and feel.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
A. Lot. Of. Them.
I took an intro to Advertising Design by accident my freshman year of High School...17 years ago. Four years later, I started freelancing. I took a lot of twists and turns, found mentors, got a job helping market an art gallery on a college campus...eventually landing a design job at a budding creative agency.
I helped them create a bunch of processes and really cut my teeth in the brand identity design world. What I learned through that experience leading projects and teams, was the love for diving deeper into the clients' "WHY".
I left that job to go on tour (at this point, I'd been touring off and on with my band for 4 years). Started my own agency -- Footnote Creative. The pandemic hit. I pivoted and decided to go deeper into the world of strategy.
A few years later & a lot of client experiences later...I realized my own brand was out of alignment with my values and felt super uncomfortable to wear or share or live. So I did a lot of inner work, spoke with a lot of friends, and worked with strategists.
I realized that I'm a weird hodgepodge of influences and tastes. I stand out by just existing and interacting with the world around me. I enjoy the thoughtfully, functionally absurd. So I leaned into my weird. Two months ago, I launched BAD PLATYPUS.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I've noticed brand strategists (in particular) and the wider branding/marketing agency world are all focused on value and making sure their clients look great but often just feel so...boring.
While looking as bland and clinical as possible.
I think a lot of it stems from a need to look "professional" (whatever that means), and show their "expertise" (whatever that means). But also it's hard to really do the same work on your own agency that you do for others. A lot of them end up looking half-baked & at worst, looking generic and forgettable.
I stand out by leaning into my "weird". I carved out a position for myself (and the agency I'm building) that is an extension of my own take on business and branding at large: in a world where you can be anything, why not be unforgettable?
Q What are you working on right now?
I'm currently helping position a gym apparel/athlesiure business as a lifestyle brand. We're just starting the process, but I'm getting them kickstarted with a position and messaging structure to get the first drop off the ground. While also helping wrangle in the larger vision for the ecosystem & community they want to create.
Q What’s your style?
Life can get heavy. It can feel like the world just wants to wear you down. There are real, tangible negative consequences that stem from institutions that exist. They can feel insurmountable.
Brands have the opportunity to bring joy and goodness into the world, whether that’s through humor or irreverent attitudes. It can feel frivolous to indulge from time to time but it's also sometimes necessary when things are as difficult as they are.
Brands also have the ability to challenge the system and leverage capital to make real changes in the world. It could be through sustainability practices, supporting mental health, or any number of ways. I'm all for brands that challenge institutions with a middle finger or a bandaid. The best brands do both. I'm not quite there yet but here are a few brands that are doing shit right: Liquid Death, Johnny Cupcakes, Buc-ees, JHS Pedals, and Dead Happy.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Simply diving into strategy–and positioning in particular.
While I’m a skilled designer, I really believe that strategy is the way that I can bring the most to my clients. I do enjoy art direction though, so I’ll bring on a team of designers or work with their in-house staff to deliver on execution. As far as industries, I’m here to destroy the notion that any particular industry HAS TO BE boring.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Honestly, it’s lead generation. It’s always been the bane of my existence. That and social media. I’m already so exhausted with that from a music promotion perspective PLUS the things I’m doing aren’t going to be promotable via socials. Unless you count LinkedIn. Overall, getting distracted by the things I “have to do” in order to generate revenue, and not enough time getting to the actual process with clients.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
This is a good question. I would have them organize and manage my emails, and calendars, and make sure invoices & stuff are being paid. Probably get my tech & channels in order. Keep me on track with legal and accounting stuff. Maybe even CRM stuff.
I’d also have them take my audio notes and conversations, transcribe them, help me organize them into categories & post them as different pieces of content (blogs, videos, newsletters, etc.)
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
5 years ago–well before I left my job & started the agency: just f*ckin’ start making friends & building a network. Help the person in front of you. Know what you want and don’t be afraid to ask if the time is right. Don’t wait around for someone else’s permission. Trust your gut.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Good question. Probably something weird and totally unrelated to business. Maybe a buddhist monk or a Nordic fisher-person. I’d ask them what brings them meaning. What moves them. What brings them joy.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I’d love to work with pre-launch Startups or businesses that are established but are unafraid of standing out and trying something new.
Specifically branding-related projects or product launches.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I’d love to link up with a founder who has reached a point in their career where they’re thinking more about the legacy they’re going to leave behind or the impact they’re going to make on the world–not the money in their account.
They’d be looking for help getting all the pieces of their business in alignment around a vision or a purpose or a belief. What they would need help with is figuring out how to talk about it in a way that attracts folks that will be OBSESSED with the world they’re building.
And the world they’re building ideally has some kind of positive impact whether it’s tangible or intangible. They also have to be bold enough to get weird – whatever that means for their category.
Q: What is your rate?
Typically a strategic branding engagement starts at $8500 and varies based on how much cool stuff they wanna do.
In addition to strategy, we can do all kinds of cool stuff together – brand identity, pitch deck, website, mobile, packaging, customer experience design, etc. This is all stuff that we can talk through in a discovery chat.
I’m also open to working with founders that have an internal design & dev team and need someone to help figure out how to speak to their audience (positioning, messaging, differentiation, personality, etc). This type of engagement starts at $5000 and depends on scope and client needs.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
If you’d like to work with me, first go here.
Then hit me up at aaron@badplatypus.com and let’s talk about what the h*ck you’re trying to do and what’s getting in the way. If we can figure that out, let’s see if I’m able to help.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Zoë Dove-Many
McLean Carrington
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
By staying curious!
This member profile was originally published in April 2022.