We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anna Ison. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anna below.

Anna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I have always been creative and have known it is my superpower to communicate through visuals. Being first born of immigrant parents though, there was a definite fear that going into the creative field would mean scarcity. There was hesitancy that there were jobs in the creative field, let alone one that could sustain a life in a city as expensive as NY. The trajectory of my life changed, really when my highschool French teacher helped me get an internship with his wife who worked in the creative field. That small chance allowed my parents to see that there were creative career options outside of the “starving artist” persona. With that, I made the leap to go to art school. I have had people throughout my life who recognized my gift and that fueled me to pursue it despite fear. I graduated cum laude with a communications design degree from Pratt Institute and found my way into packaging and brand design shortly after. My creative work has been more than a way to make a living- it’s been a way for me to use my skill to help bring brands to life, and therefore shape culture. It’s been immensely satisfying, ever evolving and a way to to keep my brain sharp, through the act of creative problem solving. Creativity is at the crux of what makes us human and it’s a gift that helps me see the world new every day- with curiosity and wonder.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been specializing in packaging and brand design for the last 20 years. Just those two things- and yet there has always been new learnings, growth and excitement when it comes to helping a brand come to life. My career has been unique and full. Much of it has been partnering with top tier agencies in the industry- crafting iconic Fortune 500 brands and shaping culture itself through changing the landscape of the grocery aisles. I never tire of seeing my “brand babies” on shelf, out in the wild.

Having my own design studio now, clients come to me when they need help competing for market share- and we do that by fully understanding what it means to build a brand that resonates with consumers. A product without a brand is a commodity and easily replaceable. A brand is what helps differentiate in a saturated market, create loyalty and a memorable experience that turns customers into fans.

Packaging is one of the primary touch points when it comes to consumer packaged goods (CPG)- and one of the key sales drivers when it comes to being seen, understood, and wanted at shelf. Packaging is more than aesthetics- it is the tangible manifestation of a brand that the consumer engages with- and I come into the picture to make sure that the packaging is communicating clearly:

What is the product? Who is it for? And why should the consumer buy this amongst other choices?

My unique offering is that I am the whole package- a brain trust and hands of a designer who loves the making. I have never been separated from the craft- I have both the understanding of what it means to build a brand, and the hands to do so. Traditionally, career paths for designers start close to the work and over time as one rises to creative director, they get more and more removed from the craft and no longer do any technical designing. That is not the route I wanted to take. I love both the intellectual side of brand building as well as the actual process of the making. Clients are attracted to my studio for the ability to move nimbly and work collaboratively with the creative. With this model, I only take on a select few clients at a time, in order to deliver the highest quality of craft and have a creative process that is a partnership. There is mutual trust and respect as we move into the process of brand building- whether that is a packaging redesign, development of brand identity, or creating the brand world and more.

I have worked the gamut of CPG, spanning all sectors- with a special affinity for food brands. Food is a cultural bridge that brings up feelings of connection, heritage, memories and is a universal love language. I believe all foods are to be celebrated and have a passion for cultural brands and global flavors to be championed.

The problems clients come to me with is when they need help moving the needle in their business. When consumers are not clearly understanding the value proposition. Maybe there is a muddy positioning that needs clarifying and the client needs someone to help translate their brand into packaging that reaches their target consumer. We start from the brand design strategy to really create a foundation and rationale for why certain design decisions are made. Only from there, can packaging design start to really tell a meaningful story and have a lasting presence when it comes to building distinctiveness. Brand equity takes time and we get intentional about each visual element so that they become assets and not generic visuals that can be easily copied.

I enjoy working with various types of clients. I love to integrate into in-house teams to be part of a bigger crew. I also love collaborating with founders- their passion and grit inspires me and I never take it lightly when they entrust me with their brand. I also enjoy working with legacy brands on innovation or renovation projects that help grow their portfolio. This is all why despite the niche expertise, I still find opportunities for creative challenges and learning after all these years. Being able to collaborate with minds of all kinds- that has been the greatest joy. I don’t believe creativity is confined to art- I believe it is just a curious way of looking at life and finding new paths to bring solutions and create something new that did not exist before. That awe keeps me driven and feeling fresh to show up new for each opportunity!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As an Asian American, we grow up with culture that encourages being quiet, putting your head down and working hard. It is thought that if you work really hard, then you will be rewarded. This is not true. You also have to speak up and advocate for yourself. I had to unlearn the fear of being seen. That if I cannot ask for what I want, who will give it to me? If I cannot share my voice, who can find me? I had to unlearn that success and leadership looks a certain way- a loud showman personality, aggressiveness, and perhaps- a white male.

The greatest realization that I have made is to be my authentic self, and to show up owning that as a power. To release self limiting beliefs that if I am not a “certain” way, then I do not have a seat at the table. That I do indeed have a voice, a point of view, experiences to share and insights to be learned from. To be aware of any conditioning that is no longer serving me. To be confident- and to realize that I am enough.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As any millennial can probably relate to- we have been through the wringer. Y2K, 9/11, recessions, a pandemic….you name it. Resilience to me means strength of character to keep going. To see failures as opportunities for growth and learning. I have struggled with perfectionism and high performing anxiety. This has kept me from taking risks and to look constantly, for outside validation. In the past I have always been focused on the destination- I totally missed the journey. I am making efforts to intentionally slow down- and for the first time in a while, I am no longer on auto pilot. I am intentional with my personal growth and that comes from having family losses…and realizing life is a gift every day. Some parts get hard. Really hard. And we keep going to build a life full of meaningful experiences and coming into the full awareness of who we are as humans- outside of productivity and what we do for a living.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://auros.design
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaisonconsultant