Tiffany Wong
Tiffany Wong
Mission-Led Digital Marketer & Brand Director of The Ordinary Good
San Francisco, CA / Santa Monica, CA
www.chariscreative.co
www.theordinarygood.co
instagram @charis.iv
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I help mission driven brands develop, market and refine their brand identities to scale their impact.”
After directing marketing for emerging sustainable businesses and running my own social impact line, I wanted to help other social entrepreneurs to find their unique voice and visual story. I currently take on freelance consulting and marketing projects at Charis Consulting and co-run The Ordinary Good, a studio/collective of mission-led creatives where we manage full-service brand development projects. If you’re curious, here’s an intro deck to studio services.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
My introduction to slow craftsmanship was working in marketing for a small accessories designer in Florence, Italy. We were blending vibrant traditional textiles and leathers to create lasting pieces that honored and supported local artisans, and I was captivated by the potential for-profit endeavors to preserve age-old art forms and do good.
From there, I moved into the world of social enterprise. I helped brand the businesses of bold entrepreneurs transitioning out of homelessness and worked in marketing and sales with an apparel startup empowering women in Ghana called Della. Afterwards, I was at a traditional IMC agency in account management for a bit before co-founding Velé, an accessories line committed to fighting human trafficking and labor exploitation. As we launched Velé, we were selected as Emerging Founders by a social good venture growth engine called Praxis Labs. In the accelerator, I joined Sseko, a leather brand in Uganda supporting women’s access to college education, where I was mentored by their executive team on how to develop and grow a strategic social enterprise.
After running Velé, I joined a sustainable clothing startup in Downtown L.A. where I managed all Integrated Marketing Communication and helped scale our made-to-order business model via subscription. From there, I was drawn to the freedom of freelance, and began taking on a medley of social impact consulting, marketing and branding projects. Ultimately, I’ve found it’s always more fun when you’re working with friends, and I currently co-run a creative studio called The Ordinary Good with other mission-led creatives, while continuing to take on smaller freelance projects on the side.
How do you stand out in your field?
In line with the ilovecreatives brand, I’m a true “slashie.” :) I’ve always been drawn to working with scrappy startups and small, passionate brands. As a result, I think I’ve worn more hats than many and this cross-disciplinary background gives me a birds eye view for how each brand or marketing decision impacts the overall business and brand perception. Especially running my own social enterprise, I developed an eye for ensuring every side of the business, from product design to email marketing, was moving the needle for both sales and our overall mission. Whether I’m developing a Brand Bible or helping a company establish their nonprofit partnership, I’m always looking at how the decision will affect every other aspect of the business positioning and model.
Client Feature: Accoutrements LA | Sustainable accessories empowering artisans in the Philippines.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
At The Ordinary Good, we’re really passionate about making the brand development/architecture process more accessible to young entrepreneurs and solo-founders. Over two years of prototyping and iteration, we created our Brand DNA Workshop which gives you access to our studio’s signature 6-week brand identity process we use with all our clients and our Brand Bible template. The motto is: “If you can start your own business, you can build your own brand.” Entrepreneurs just need the right tools. Our process gives you everything you need to DIY damn good branding.
Featuring: A Snapshot of our Brand DNA Workshop
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
Hmm, since my goal is to unveil a brand’s story and essence, each project tends to have a pretty different voice and visual look. That’s why our branding process at The Ordinary Good is built on collaboration and consultation—almost a little like “brand therapy.”
That said, I really do love the following projects, largely because of how unique each one felt:
Yem Silk - completely natural luxury silk loungewear, traditionally crafted to support the artisans of Tan Chau, Vietnam. Each piece of silk takes months to make and features 100 dye baths with the rare, mac nua fruit.
The Wellness Agency - A premier, vetted ecosystem expediting growth for wellness companies. We worked on brand identity and the site.
Yella Activewear Brand Bible - Unconventional activewear made in speciality factories around the world.
HappyBond - A science-backed, transparent supplement to help dogs sustain and regain mobility. We created their website, including their custom subscription flow.
Client Feature: Yella Activewear
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I wish I could focus more on experimental photography and meaningful lifestyle shoots, speaking to the areas of social justice and sustainability in a way that is hopeful, artful and uplifting. I always loved the words of social activist Toni Cade Bambara: "The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.”
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
Learning to say “no” to things that don’t light me up. Especially after launching our accessories brand, I remember receiving a lot of advice from seasoned founders to say “yes!” to every opportunity to keep building momentum. I think there is so much value in stepping into the unknown while trusting yourself to figure it out. But I also think life is too short to not invest primarily in what brings you life and joy. So, I’m learning to take more time for stillness, and I think this ultimately makes the work so much better as well :)
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
I would love to have someone email me a curated, personalized list of daily inspiration. Like Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist, but someone would hand-select inspiration from a wide range of verticals, from wellness, to politics, to music, etc. (I think I need to actually hire someone to do this for me, aha.)
Client Feature: a screenshot from the HappyBond website, a premium and transparent dog brand for keeping your pup healthy and happy.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
A dear friend wrote this to me during a period where I was really questioning my path. We ended up having the note printed on all our Thank You cards at Velé and I reflect on these words when I find myself in a moment of self-doubt. They always pull me back to a sense of awe and lightness:
You are more brilliant than your greatest idea. More complex than your deepest confusion. And more beautiful than an untouched landscape. There is no spectrum to which you can be bound.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
Brainstorming how to create more systems, community, and support for mission-led founders.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
I Would love to work with mission-led startups and lifestyle brands within the fashion, beauty, food, and wellness industries on the following:
Full Service Brand Identity & Architecture: Businesses in their second or third year of business who are looking to invest in creating their brand identity after gaining insights and feedback from their customer. Plans can be rolled out in phases, but typically we highly suggest the project begins with Phase I, Brand Bible creation. You can check out the intro deck for more info and starting rates.
Consultation, Content Creation & Marketing: Businesses at any stage looking for consultation and/or consistent help with creating photo content, email marketing, social media management and copywriting.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
An emerging social enterprise with traction/sustainable revenue, looking to elevate its brand identity and ready to scale. We would execute a Brand Refresh, sharpening the brand storytelling, and bringing the new brand image to life through a photoshoot, website development and brand marketing guidelines (sample outline with starting rates in this Brand Refresh Outline).
In terms of values and business model, the ideal client would have a holistic impact strategy: empowering people and planet through its supply chain and integrating a give-back plan and cause-marketing strategy. That said, we also offer social impact consultation, so we can help develop or optimize an impact strategy if that’s of interest, but you just need some guidance on where to start.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Send me an email at tiffany@theordinarygood.com with:
1) a bit about your brand
2) what you need support with
3) general budget
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Exploring new worlds through travel, music, film, podcasts and largely through my work. I love diving into a new industry or product category and experiencing what makes it uniquely beautiful, important, and beneficial to our world.
This member profile was originally published in September 2018, Updated January 2021.