How did you discover your passion for branding and develop the skills necessary to enter the field? Completely by accident. I started my career as a receptionist at a brand and design agency—not because I was interested in the field, but because it was the only job offer I had out of college. Being in that position, I had the good fortune of being able to see first-hand what it is that a designer, animator, strategist, producer, editor, copywriter, art director and creative director did day to day, and I charted my career path from there.

I’ve read countless books on branding, marketing and advertising, but my skills grew the most through on-the-job trial and error. What I learned from reading blogs and textbooks was amazing in theory, but once I got my hands dirty with real-world work and started to understand the intricacies and processes of a project, I understood more clearly which skills and tools would be most beneficial to thrive as a creative strategist.

What do you do in your role as director of creative strategy at design firm Trollbäck+Company? As it probably sounds, I wear two hats. The “strategy” in my title is focused on positioning brands in the marketplace, establishing their voice and developing campaigns that effectively communicate the strategic foundations that are set. The “creative” in my title is focused on ensuring that external, consumer-facing manifestations of brands—marketing assets, social media, identities and spots—are aligned with the internal, client-facing strategy set forth. It’s not quite a creative director role; it’s more like a creative advisor who ensures all ships are steering in the same direction toward the north star that has been established.

At Trollbäck+Company, you’ve worked on branding for entertainment platforms such as Acorn TV, AMC Network’s British mystery channel, or horror-themed TV network Shudder. What are the particular challenges and opportunities that come with branding for a niche entertainment platform? It may sound counterintuitive, but there’s great creative freedom that comes from not needing to be everything to everyone. Most generalist streaming services appeal to the widest possible audience, and as such, the decisions that go into building their strategy and identity elements come from a place of building mass appeal. For niche entertainment offerings, you know who you’re speaking to and can build an identity that makes that audience feel right at home. You can be an insider; you can reference themes, characters and storylines; and you don’t have to act as an objective third party that gives equal weight to every genre under the sun—your brand can be a fan, too. The challenge, however, is connecting with these niche audiences in a way that doesn’t feel like you’re trying too hard or you’re an outsider looking in.

What approach would you suggest taking to create more authentic branding for niche audiences, like generating insider insights and balancing tropes with outside-the-box design thinking? Be it; don’t say it. The most impactful way to connect with audiences is to give them credit and capture the spirit and vibe that they love without overexplaining it.

For Acorn TV, that meant a new tagline that captured a subtly British vibe to express the focus of the streaming service—“Brilliant”—rather than a more descriptive tagline.

For Shudder, that meant building the identity not around blood and gore, but around making the audience feel just slightly uneasy: Music with a pulsating rhythm. An ever-present and ominous red glow in all creative assets. A logo that feels premium but features a rift in the type that is just slightly off.

Besides working on Acorn TV and Shudder, what have been some of your other favorite projects you’ve worked on throughout your career? How did they change your perception of what you can accomplish through branding? I’ve had the pleasure of working with online audiobook and podcast service Audible on several campaigns over the past two years, and that brand always presents a unique challenge: How can we communicate what’s compelling about an audio medium through visual creative assets? There are audio-specific tropes we could lean into, like soundwaves, but the team always does an amazing job of finding a new way to express the power of audio visually. A summer campaign we built, for instance, leaned into the star power of the titles rather than the medium in which they are consumed. A comedy campaign we built used clever copy to communicate the medium and the genre simultaneously: “Audible Sounds Funny.” There will always be hurdles and challenges in branding and design, but they are never insurmountable and often act as a springboard for even better ideas.

What is the biggest challenge currently facing those in branding? Standing out has become more difficult than ever. A lot of Trollbäck+Company’s clients are in the entertainment space, and there has never been more competition for attention. Everyone is asking the same questions: What makes us different, and how can we communicate that? These have become much more difficult to answer today than they were five years ago because the market has become that much more saturated, but they are still questions that must be answered—and that can be solved through the power of strategy and design.

From where do you seek inspiration these days? My fifteen-month-old daughter. Everything she sees is new, exciting and opens a world of possibilities. The lens through which she’s experiencing life is incredible, and I try to bring that perspective to my creative process by seeking inspiration from the most seemingly mundane activities. The genesis of some of my best work recently has come while walking in a park, pushing a swing or staring at the night sky.

Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Network early and keep in contact with as many colleagues and clients as possible. If you’re an extrovert, that may mean attending events and building your contacts in real life. If you’re an introvert, it can be as simple as ensuring you connect with all your professional contacts on LinkedIn. Your network may consist of junior designers, animators and writers right now, but down the line, those people will become the senior designers, managers, art directors, creative directors, VPs and executives who define your field and move it forward. ca