Madison Grob
Brand Designer / Strategist / Creative Direction
Louisiana
Q What do you do?
“I love figuring out someone’s style and bringing it to life—I hold a place for every style direction from feminine to edgy, and creating them has always come easy.”
When I get texts from my friends asking for advice on what to do with their room…or what outfit to wear, they may or may not receive a powerpoint of potentials...
Professionally, I’ve found a way to do this for businesses through branding and the process is so similar to helping friends with their living rooms and outfit decisions. I love identifying the style direction through a quick chat and then bringing their visions to life with a few presentations of options, and finally implementing!
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I spent the past year and a half working in marketing for an interior design firm, where I discovered how much I love to create branding materials. I credit my strategic thinking to the past year in school getting my Master’s in Business Administration. Canva has been my best friend, lots of self-education, books, research, and trial and error!
Q How do you stand out in your field?
With a back and forth internal war, falsely believing I would never be able to make a living doing something creative that I loved, I have learned the dynamics of business through traditional education. I pursued a Master’s in Business Administration over the past year, adopting information ranging from leadership psychology to strategic case studies. While creativity is what keeps me going, a well-balanced perspective of structure and art is what has served me throughout my projects.
Q What are you working on right now?
I’m currently working on infiltrating the brand story for the company I work for. Intentionally personifying the brand to feel more human through various video content, messaging, and imagery. I am coordinating with a videographer, drafting script outlines, and planning the implementation across all of our touchpoints, ensuring consistency between aesthetics and messaging.
Q What’s your style?
I have an obscene obsession with connecting art on all mediums, especially where interior design meets fashion meets branding. I am discovering new bridges between the industries and facets I love most, and continuously finding more. I can generally sense the direction of a project for a client based on my knowledge of their taste in clothing. Sure enough, this directs me to what their taste is in branding. Luckily for most businesses, their targeted audience aligns with the owner’s values and style, but this isn’t always the case. When there is a disconnect, it’s a challenge (but a fun one) to balance both the owner’s taste while also resonating with the customer’s perspective. This shows up for traditional business owners aiming to reach gen z.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
A goal of mine is to focus more on photoshop skills to create better mockups and logos. I would like to dip into more website design, but for now I’m only a novice at ShowIt, and comfortable with polishing up the fonts, colors, and general designs of most sites. Also learning more about the best print materials and color adjustments and getting a better grip on general pricing and of course sourcing for best quality.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Resisting creating a TikTok profile to showcase my business and reach more people to work with. I’ve seen and heard about all the possibilities, but something keeps stopping me from actually filming videos and making the first step!
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Run social media! I have no problem strategizing and planning from a zoomed out perspective, but when it comes to scheduling posts and stories, I struggle! It takes up more of my time and energy to make a reel than I care to admit :)
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I would have told my 18 year old self going into college, struggling to choose between fashion merchandising, interior design, and marketing as my major... to remove my fear of not being able to monetize sufficiently in a creative field because you don’t see it around you. When you follow your intuition and what you gravitate towards, that’s where the magic happens! Despite choosing a major that is more business-oriented, allegedly with a higher likelihood of financial stability and professional success, I still found my way back to being a creator. There is no right or wrong choice, & what’s meant for you won’t pass you by!
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I would love a mentor to help me reach out to people without fear and without feeling sales-y.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I’m looking for the small businesses who DIY’d their brand and are looking for a refresh. Additionally, any new businesses who understand the importance of branding, but are too focused on building the rest of their business to put forth their time to branding.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I love working with interior designers, the fashion industry, flower shops, boutique restaurants or coffee shops, wellness brands, workout studios, solopreneurs, and any other creative small businesses.
Q What is your rate?
Brand Refresh Package starting at $720, depending on the complexity and designs needed.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Fill out the inquiry form on my website at winkcreativebranding.com. DM on instagram @winkcreativebranding. Email at info@winkcreativebranding.com telling me about your branding goals!
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Marissa Jordan Photography - she captured my brand photoshoot so effortlessly! www.marisajordanphoto.com @marisajordanphoto
Blythe Win Creative- she does social media management and is such a supportive, thorough, and most importantly a kind person!!
www.blythewincreative.com @blythewincreative
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
By seeking inspiration in everyday moments.
This member profile was originally published in March 2024