Design Entrepreneurship
The inaugural episode of Design Distilled delves into the interplay between communication and design.
Hosts Steve Goode and Lianne Castelino share their respective journeys and expertise in the fields of graphic design and journalism. They articulate the transformative nature of entrepreneurship, highlighting the essential qualities necessary for successful business ventures, such as courage, foresight, and meticulous planning.
The conversation unfolds as they reflect on their experiences, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in the creative process and the value of diverse perspectives.
The discussion sets the stage for deeper explorations into how innovation can be harnessed to inspire fresh ideas in marketing and design, ultimately encouraging listeners to consider their own paths within this dynamic landscape.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Distill Designs
Transcript
The Design Distilled podcast breaks down the latest trends, tools and techniques in communications, marketing and graphic design welcome to Design Distilled, a podcast that breaks down the latest trends, techniques and tools shaping communications, marketing and graphic design. My name is Lianne Castelino.
Steve Goode:Hi, my name is Steve Goode.
Lianne Castelino:Steve and I are the founders of Distil Designs, which is a purpose built creative firm. And this is our first podcast, appropriately named Design Distilled.
And we're hoping to share with you some of the tips and tricks that we've learned over the years in our own independent businesses as well as together as part of Distilled Designs. So, Steve, tell me a little bit about yourself and for our listeners as well who may not know about your background.
Steve Goode:Yes. Hi, my name is Steve Good. I am a designer art director.
I have worked in many facets of the design industry from, you know, design studios, advertising agencies big and small, to working on my own for the last few years and recently just joining up with Leanne as a partner.
Lianne Castelino:Lots of experience, definitely. So you're the visuals and the pretty pictures guy. And I am a journalist by profession.
I'm the wordsmith in the family and I've worked in television for many years as a sports broadcaster as well.
And in the last sort of dozen or so years I've worked in the communications role primarily in not for profit, healthcare and education, among other industries. So really amassed a lot of key industry experience and no two industries are the same.
However, you could argue that from a comms perspective, marketing perspective, there are definitely similarities and some foundational pieces that, you know, align from one industry to another.
So we thought we'd, you know, give you some ideas based on our own experience as co founders of Distil Designs, things that may be relevant and timely for your journey, whether you are pursuing your own business or, you know, looking to reinvent, innovate, ideate your communications, marketing and graphic design pieces for whatever you're working on. So Steve, let's talk a little bit first of all about becoming an entrepreneur or going down that road of running your own business.
What are some of the things that you've learned over the years that you now are applying to Distill, having sort.
Steve Goode:Of been at a company and then working for yourselves.
It's sort of very different and maybe this is more of a design perspective is, is sort of being able to come up with the ideas, develop them, and then sort of communicate them or sell them to the client. So it's before it was always about the pretty picture, but then as you sort of mature and you sort of go through and develop your own style and.
And, you know, brand, you sort of have a way of, you know, getting that idea across. And I think that's the interesting thing is, is it's. It's not just about making it look good.
It's actually got to translate well to, and come across and communicate well. So I think that's sort of a. You know, early on in the business, I was sort of, you know, just pretty pictures.
And then it sort of became, you've got to be able to, you know, sell your ideas through and make sure that they make sense. So that, that's. I think that's sort of the bigger sort of thing for me was as a designer, as a communicator, being able to sell through.
So making a sense.
Lianne Castelino:Yeah. And you know, the other piece that's really interesting about what you just said, there is the impact of technology and all of that. Right.
Because there's so much that technology has done to simplify but also add really deep creative elements that maybe were not there before with respect to running a business. I mean, for me, I think I am a person that is very creative, and I really do need a creative outlet to express myself.
I also think, though, that being an entrepreneur teaches you so many things. It allows you to expand your network.
It allows you to, you know, dip into industries that maybe you would not have otherwise experienced if you were just in sort of a linear, linear role. It allows you to collaborate and generate ideas with people from different backgrounds that maybe you wouldn't have experienced otherwise.
And for me, that collaboration piece of bringing different, often starkly varied perspectives to the table and then getting it to the end and getting to a better place is really something that I've always quite cherished as part of that collaborative process.
Steve Goode:Well, and it's just very exciting. It just.
It just motivates you even more when, when you do have that, you find that little nugget, that insight that sort of really brings the idea in a way that you never thought before. So it's always exciting and it's great when those moments happen, you know, but you just. You can't plan for them.
They just sort of all of a sudden just appear and then you've got to, you know, go with it. So it's a great thing.
Lianne Castelino:Yeah. And, you know, when you talk about going into business, which is a big step, it does take a certain amount of courage.
It takes some foresight, it takes planning. An. There are so many wonderful things that can come of that if and when you make that decision.
And just a few of them for me is, you know, you're able to choose what you want to do, who you want to work with. And probably the most important part of that is the why? Why am I doing this? Whatever this is.
Like, what are some of the things that you thought about in terms of.
Steve Goode:Even just you and I working together? Like, you know, before, originally, we had this client, you know, designer relationship. And then. Then we decided to become partners. So that was.
It's very different. So we had to understand each other. We had to sort of be on the same page for what we thought was a company. So it was.
It was an interesting switch going from, you know, client to partner. And. Yeah, but we got along so well. Like, after working together for years, it just sort of made sense.
And it's like, well, why don't we work together? So when I asked you, you were like, yeah, of course. Why. Why wouldn't we do this? It just makes so much sense. So it was.
Yeah, it was great when we sort of came to that realization that maybe we could do this together more explicitly.
Lianne Castelino:Yeah. And on that note, I mean, there's so much that goes into that. Right.
Like, I think there's the shared values, the shared purpose piece, but there's also being comfortable with being pushed and being challenged and being, you know, questioned. Steve knows that I ask a lot of questions, and I' not typically afraid to ask questions or ask why.
Like, why are we doing this and how come we're not looking at it that way? So there has to be a certain level of comfort on both sides of that coin. Right. The great stuff and the. Maybe not the great stuff, too.
Steve Goode:Yes, absolutely.
Lianne Castelino:And so, you know, I look at those as all advantages when you're. When you're considering going into being an entrepreneur. And what I would say when I come down to the why piece, like, why do I want to do this?
For me and Steve, you know, you may have a different answer, but for me, it's about the values and aligning my personal values with what I want to do professionally. And that's always been important to me.
But as I continue to sort of be more experienced and gain more expertise and, you know, expand my network and those kinds of things, have new experiences, the values alignment is really, really important.
Steve Goode:Yes. And.
And we did spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out what those were and sort of how do we bring them, you know, with this new venture, how do we put them all together? So that was part of it. I think the other thing was it was nice because, you know, we've been doing things on.
On our own, separately for years, as our own business, whatever it is. But part of it is, I think it's just. Even just being able to have that other person to bounce ideas off of, you know, having a partner.
You know, they say two heads is better than one, but even just that idea of having a small team and being agile and responsive to clients. Right. So I think that's sort of an important thing as well, that we sort of wanted to bring to the forefront and how.
How we make ourselves different than. So there are other people.
Lianne Castelino:Absolutely. And, you know, when we talk about values as well, like for distilled designs are we have four key values. Integrity, respect, honesty, and teamwork.
And that really, you know, is at the core of what we do as a company, but it is also inherently who we are as individuals. And that, you know, making that distinction was really important that it carried over from one to the other.
What you were talking about there, though, too, has a lot to do with what, why do you want to go into business? Why did we want to go into business? And for us, it really was about addressing a need and filling a gap.
And in this case, it was about being able to provide professional marketing, communications, graphic design services in a timely, nimble, relevant way.
And I think that's where a lot of companies may not be able to execute because they are a certain size or they are complex or they aren't able to step out of themselves to be objective. Whereas, you know, we have really actively and intentionally addressed all those items in how we conduct our business.
Steve Goode:Right. Oh, I agree completely.
The other thing, too, about the two of us is just like, we have very different skill sets, and I think that complementing each other with the different skill sets, we sort of. Certain things that I don't really love doing that you are great at, and then this, you know, vice versa. So it's.
It's just good to have those complimenting skills that we can bring forward and. And share with our custom clients.
Lianne Castelino:And on that note, we are coming to the end of our first podcast. Steve, that just flew right by, didn't it?
Steve Goode:It did, it did. It was very quick. But I think short and sweet is good.
Lianne Castelino:Short and sweet is excellent.
And, you know, we hope we left you with some food for thought in terms of whether you're looking to pursue your own business or you're looking to partner up with somebody as to, you know, key things to consider before you go down this road and down this journey, we hope you enjoyed our first edition of Design Distilled, and we look forward to being with you again soon.
