Victoria Tomlinson
Q What do you do?
“I run a small, strategy-led branding studio for challenger food and beverage brands called Kind & Wild.”
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
After many years working in London at Top 100 agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi, as well as in-house on the busy e-commerce teams at NET-A-PORTER, Selfridges and ASOS, I realised I’d love to offer something more streamlined and intimate to my favourite kinds of brands.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
We are a lean team of two - myself, a designer with almost 20 years of experience, and my partner Jayson, who has a background in hospitality and coffee operations and moved into strategy and copywriting. We offer a special kind of support to start-up founders that they can’t always get when working with a big agency. We’ve developed a solid and clear five-step process called DREAM to help founders get from frustrated to excited about their brand and its future. We also only work with one brand at a time, so they get our undivided attention.
Q What are you working on right now?
We are currently working with a brand offering natural food products like nut butters, raw honey and dried fruits. They also host experiences in the form of feasts in the forest.
Q What’s your style?
Our style is typically playful and fun - and that’s what many clients love about our work. But it really depends on the brand. We always lead with strategy so the brand stays aligned with its purpose, vision and mission, and speaks to the right audience.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
We absolutely love hosting workshops - whether online or in person. We make them fun and collaborative, and seeing our clients light up as we uncover things about their brand they hadn’t even been able to put into words themselves is really special. Workshops form part of all our packages, but if we could just do that alone, it would be just as valuable.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Keeping up with all the moving parts of running a business - and making sure there’s balance between working in it and on it!
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
At the moment it’s just the two of us, but I’d potentially look at someone who could create some of the content we need to put out into the world.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I’d love to tell my younger self how important it is to network and not be afraid to put yourself out there. Opportunities come much more easily when you connect with people.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
We already do this - but it would probably be with a food and bev founder who has successfully grown their brand. Hearing about their journey gives you nuggets of wisdom that can make the branding process easier for future clients.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Anything food and bev - and fun! I do think eventually we’ll branch into other sectors too, but for now this is where we’re playing.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
Working on a full branding project with a challenger brand run by people who are fun, open to collaboration and aligned with our values. That would be ideal.
Q: What is your rate?
We generally work on a project-package basis, between $5k–$25k. We sometimes offer hourly consulting too.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
You can get in touch with me on vicky.tomlinson@gmail.com - I'd love to hear a bit about you, your brand and your budget so I can see how I can help you in the best way possible.
By getting in touch with me at vicky@kindandwildstudio.com. Or, if you’d like to see what I’m posting about, you can connect with me on LinkedIn.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
I’m a huge fan of Rick Rubin - his outlook and his process.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
I live right by the mountains, so I spend a lot of time in nature. I also like to dip into creativity away from the screen through watercolour painting and ceramics.
This member profile was originally published in January 2025, Updated September 2025.