An interview with design guru
Brandi Stanley uncovers her life working within the Denver not-for-profit sector. Brandi is the Owner/Operator of her own design studio, The Window Room. The studio exists to provide organizations with design that inspires advocacy and change.

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Sean: You’re based in Colorado, right? What’s the best part of living near all of that adventure?

Brandi Stanley: I am in Colorado! I’m actually literally in the heart of Denver, living it up in the city. The best part about living here is likely what most might guess: the Rockies don’t disappoint. Nature here is constantly inspirational.

Sean: If I have a few days to kill in Denver, what should I find myself doing?

Brandi: I’d like to say something besides the mountains here, but they truly are worth the trip. Denver isn’t known for any food specialty and it’s not a huge city, relatively, so while there might be some fantastic things to do here in the city, your time is still best spent in the mountains. As a local, one of my favorite things to do is head to the top of Mount Evans for a good hike and drive, and then eat lunch at a local pizza place called Beau Joe’s. It’s a Colorado favorite. A tour of the Coors Brewery is a good add-on for that trip, as well.

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Sean: How did you get into graphic design?

Brandi: In undergrad, I majored in Advertising. About halfway through my program, I took a typography course and fell in love. From there, I never really looked back. I was hooked on design — and though I didn’t officially get a design degree — spent a good portion of my time at school in the design department. After graduating, I went straight into the printing industry. It was a bit unconventional, but working in the print world gave me a better understanding of turning brilliant concepts into practical pieces for clients.

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Sean: Your business plan is different than most. How did you get into the non-profit space?

Brandi: It is a bit strange, but a few things really came together to drive me into the non-profit world. For years, I’ve been involved in social justice and human rights issues and have always wanted to find a way to meld my personal passions with my professional expertise. I remember when I saw a few non-profits start to design and communicate well. I felt like the non-profit sector was a great way to tie these two things together.

Once I started working with organizations, I saw a serious need. Most non-profits can’t afford to hire an in-house designer or someone to handle branding for them. I saw it as a perfect opportunity and specialized niche in order to begin my own freelancing practice.

Sean: Who are a few of your clients right now?

Brandi: I make a concerted effort to stay in the non-profit realm as much as possible. Since I work on my own, it allows me to keep costs down for them, while still maintaining my income. This isn’t to say that I wouldn’t gladly take a job with a for-profit, but my passion really lies in helping non-profits.

The majority of my clients are in Denver, but I’m beginning to work with some national organizations, as well. Most recently, I did an entire organizational re-brand for the Colorado Youth Corps Association. Now I’m working on projects for a local domestic violence shelter and a breast cancer awareness organization.

Sean: How do you communicate new ideas to your clients?

Brandi: With as much confidence and enthusiasm as possible. Most leaders of non-profits have little feel for design and branding. Honest input about both my experience and my expertise really helps. They usually appreciate that I’m looking out for them and not necessarily my bottom line.

Logistically, the method I do this changes from client to client. Sometimes it requires a phone call. Sometimes it requires showing a sketch — it really just depends.

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Sean: How has the economy affected your life as a business owner?

Brandi: To be honest, the only way I’ve truly been affected by the economy was being laid off from a previous desk job. I’d been working in a local university’s marketing department on their design materials. When enrollment dropped drastically for them due to the economy, they went through massive lay-offs.

I’d only picked up the job to get more steady pay, but since coming back to freelance work, things have picked up for me. I’m not sure whether to attribute it to my non-profit niche (which you would assume would be taking the worst hit), or if I’m finally just at a place where I’m well-connected enough to maintain consistent jobs.

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Sean: If I recall correctly, you built your own site as well as a blog called Social He(art). To consider yourself a graphic designer, you’re pretty web-savvy. And that’s quite nifty. Have you done additional projects in web design? Do you prefer one medium over the other?

Brandi: You know, I’ve spent a lot of time in the last couple of years delving into web work because I see it as a necessary “evil,” if you will. Both my clients and myself understand that the web is the best, most-efficient, and cost-effective means to reach an audience at this point. I’ve done several web design projects over the last year, but I really just stick to design. While I know a great deal of xHTML and CSS, I prefer to hand projects over to others who enjoy it more.

Sean: Are there any challenges that come with delivering on both mediums for clients?

Brandi: At heart, I like to say, “I’m a print girl living in a web world.” Print is a bit like developing your own film in a dark room for me. Even though it’s not always the best or fastest way to get things done, there’s still something so incredible about the medium. Nothing really beats holding something tangible in my hands, working with paper, and seeing a print project done really well.

I started Social He(art) because — like myself — I’d run into so many artists who had a passion for social justice and were using their talents to make change. I thought it was important to show support for these people and to help get their stories out, not only for them but for the organizations they were helping. At the moment, I’m taking a temporary leave from the site just to maintain my sanity while finishing my graduate degree, working for my freelance clients, and interning for a local anti-trafficking organization. But, I hope to pick it back up in the near future and really expand its scope.

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Sean: One thing people don’t know about you. Go.

Brandi: Only my close friends know that I’m a diehard sports fan. I grew up in Dallas and was raised on football and started to love hockey when I was in high school. I used to want to be a SportsCenter anchor, and I remember in high school that guys had no idea how to react when I knew more about sports than they did. I’ll watch or attend pretty much any sport other than golf. It’s a weird combination, since I can be happy spending one night at a basketball game and the next at the theatre.

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Sean: Do you work with other designers? In what capacity?

Brandi: I work with other consultants and freelancers more than I do specifically with other designers. I outsource things I don’t normally handle — things like web development, illustration, or photography. It’s not that I can’t handle those things, but I think it benefits both parties when I know they can do it more efficiently and with more passion than I can.

I would love to work with more designers on projects, so that we can all add our perspectives. I think it’s important to challenge yourself in working with other people who see things differently than you do — people who stretch your creativity to places you normally wouldn’t.

Sean: What’s your workspace like?

Brandi: Goodness. I just moved, and my workspace honestly doesn’t look all that “creative” at the moment. The last place I lived didn’t even have a table anywhere in the house, so I’ve spent almost the last couple of years heading to coffee shops or bookstores to get my juices flowing and get out of the house. I’m almost at a point where I can spend some time to intentionally create a workspace that gets me motivated.

Sean: Who inspires you?

Brandi: I’ve actually been incredibly inspired by a lot of local artists lately. We’ve got some great talent in this city, and it’s exciting to see them all succeeding. Denver artists like Jason Thielke, Nathan Crutchfield, Amanda Marie Ploegsma, and Josh Wills have really been getting my creativity flowing for awhile now. There’s a great band out of Denver that I love, too, called The Autumn Film, whose lyrics have pushed me and inspired my art, as of late.

creative arts

Friday, November 6, 2009 at 7:20 amSubscribe by reader Subscribe by email

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