Stéphanie Brusick
Creative Director / Type Designer / Founder of Madebysté & Caddie Studio
Geneva, Switzerland
www.madebyste.com / www.caddie.studio / www.stephaniebrusick.com
instagram @madebyste.b
pinterest.com
Q What do you do?
“I am an hyper active designer with a focus on brand identity and e-commerce store design during the week and typeface design on week-ends.”
I have been a freelancer for more than 12 years and for the last 5 years I have chosen to work mainly with very young brands. Being there at the early stages, at the launch of the project is exciting and the mix of fragility and bold ambition is very inspiring creatively speaking.
Alongside my branding business I created Madebysté which is an independent type foundry that offers affordable typefaces for creative people. I love designing typefaces, it's a very meditative practice.
And recently I founded Caddie Studio which answers a growing demand for e-commerce websites. Indeed, the world has changed drastically. The way we consume has changed, as the way we generate revenue. We multiply the sources of income and more and more people have something to sell or a service to offer. Caddie Studio is here to help these new creators to have a commercial presence online with a Shopify store. Always in the most efficient and beautiful way possible...
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I started out as an Account Director in advertising agencies in Switzerland before I realized that I was much more attracted to creative work than client management. I stopped everything and then I moved to fields where I could express my creativity and it began with fashion design. I went back to school to study fashion design in Paris. During that time I learned also graphic design. With time I was doing more and more art direction and graphic design work and that’s what I liked the most. Once back in my hometown I immediately started freelancing because I knew that the life of an office worker was not at all in line with my needs for freedom of time and movement.
Twelve years later I am still there and very grateful for all those projects I had the chance to work on, all the clients that I have accompanied. When a new project comes along I still feel like a kid receiving his birthday gift!
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I have a double expertise, both in client management acquired in advertising agency with a more strategic vision but also my 10+ years of experience as a designer. This makes for a pretty interesting mix.
Q What are you working on right now?
I work with a jewelry designer and we just launched the new version of her website. I'm also working with an event planner who wants to expand her brand and develop a range of products to offer on her site. I have other projects planned that I can't talk about yet. In parallel, I continue to create fonts because I love it. I also need to revamp my personal website but obviously that comes last…!
Most of my clients are in the fashion, jewelry, design, music, beauty, hospitality industries. I guess it’s what inspires me the most.
Q What’s your style?
Some say that my style is influenced by the fashion imagery and I guess it makes sense because I also have this background. When we create a collection we think about the color palette, the patterns, the graphic and visual elements, the materials and the story we want to tell. It's a process quite similar to that of creating a brand identity.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I need to practice all these skills to feel good and inspired. My real challenge is to get the balance between them. On the other hand I would love to have more time for exploring the Web3 world. I started to trade and collect NFTs one year ago and I really love the space. I am also involved in incredible women-led projects focusing on entrepreneurship, technology, creativity that deserve to be known.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Honestly nothing much, I am very lucky to make a living from my passion. Maybe the only thing I could say is that I find the days too short and I would like to do more things in a day. Optimizing my productivity is clearly my goal for the next 12 months.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I would love to have a chef who cook good, healthy meals for me every day... ohh that would be so cool! But I think that would be out of my monthly budget…
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Don't wait until you have the perfect portfolio to showcase your work. Don't wait until you feel confident before you start. Don't wait until you have 10 years of experience before you dare to say that you are good at what you do. Just go for it and see what happens!
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I would discuss with a financial expert about the best practices for my business but also for my personal life. When you are an independent sometimes things get a little mixed up.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Branding projects. Shopify design projects. Creating a unique custom typeface for a client.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
The ideal client is passionate, ambitious, kind and preferably works in the fields that resonates to me. But I am open to all collaborations and what really matters in the end is the good vibes between the client and me.
Q What is your rate?
Branding design range from $3000 - 10K / Shopify store design range from $4500 - 15K+ / Custom typeface design starts at $3000
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Simply send me an email at hello@stephaniebrusick.com
Q Who is a creative you admire?
I did not work with them but here are some of the creatives who inspire me:
LM Chabot for photography ( @lm_chabot)
Lotta Nieminen for branding (@lottanieminen)
Zhenya Rynzhuk for web design (@zhenyary)
Violaine et Jeremy for type design (@violaineetjeremy)
Verònica Fuerte for entrepreneurship & design (@veronicafuerte)
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
I am extremely curious and I consume a lot of magazines, websites, design books. I also regularly go to see exhibitions. The last one I saw was in Paris about inclusive and non-binary typography. Very interesting subject!
This member profile was originally published in October 2022.