Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to DAN CASTELLO. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi DAN, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

Yes.

I became an independent brand designer/creative director in 2014.

At the time, I was the Creative Director at a prominent PR firm in Grand Rapids, MI and had been for 16 years. A local (downtown GR) greeting card and high end paper tableware company recruited me to manage their creative team. The team about 25 people consisted of writers, designers, production artists, web developers and product designers.

That gig lasted less than a year. We both knew that we’re weren’t the right fit for each other. They hired me for the wrong reasons while I took the job for the wrong reasons. They cut me with a few others at that time.

It was the first time in my life, since I was around 11 or 12 years old that I didn’t have a job of some sort. I was freakin’ a bit.

Not knowing what to do, I pursued payroll work and freelance work simultaneously. Once my non-compete expired, I canvased my relationships. Hard. I knocked on every door. I learned two things during this process: agencies had no interest in hiring a 50 year old creative and I was sending mixed messages doing both.

I decided that I’m going all in as an independent and I’ve never looked back.

I don’t regret a thing about my career. I will say though, I often wonder where I’d be had I had the courage to do my own business when I was younger.
So, I went in one direction.

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 was always drawing as a kid. I drew at a retractable desk at the end of the bunk bed I slept in. Until I was around 17, I raced BMX (before tricks became mainstream) at area motocross tracks. My first graphic design came when I would design and produce my own number plates, the graphics that went on them as well as graphics I’d make for my helmet and bike (it was an MCS).

It was my junior year in high school that I realized that I wanted to do “this” for a living when I helped a classmate run for class president. (I should say she won, but I don’t remember)

I’ve always known creative was for me. I didn’t have to ask “what am I going to do” after high school.

I believe what sets me apart from many creatives is that I understand business strategy and how to apply and execute strong design and targeted messaging.

I’ve always said people will feel you long before they understand you. One of the things I love most about my career is getting our audiences to feel what we want them to feel. Then we can tell our story.

I use music as an analogy. When you hear a song for the first time, you feel that rhythm and melody. It’s gets you going. You feel it. Then the next time(s) you hear the music, you tune in closely so you can hear the lyrics. Design in communications is what rhythm and melody is to music.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

I have always been a fan of and still use sketch books. They are a great way to sift thoughts and ideas before taking thoughts and ideas to a mouse and keyboard.

I once did a logo for a Senior PGA golf tournament, formerly First of America Classic to the newly title sponsored (formerly) Foremost Insurance Championship at that time. Simply said, I got the work because I started by sketching first, then designed to the sketch.

The PR firm I worked for was handling the PR/Media for Foremost Insurance who was on the cusp of announcing their title sponsorship of the tournament.

In doing so, the firm’s leadership took part in the review process of the tournament’s new name and logo. Our leadership and Foremost Insurance leadership communicated the mighty struggles to land on a logo everyone saw fit. So, I asked if I could see the logo ideas being submitted.

When shown, I knew what was happening and immediately responded. The designer took to Illustrator right out of the gate. He or she never touched a sketch book. The art/design wasn’t “human driven”. The shapes weren’t intuitive human nature. The submissions were lifeless.

I was asked “do some of your own designs, just in case”. So I did and like always, took to sketching first.

I then did a series of ideas, pitched them to leadership at Foremost Insurance. They loved them immediately. The art had a human touch to it that can sometimes gets lost by going to a computer before concepts are explored thoroughly.

This is one of my favorite stories “just do what you do”.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Relationships and integrity.

Relationships: The many years of client service and colleague relationships helped me transition from a payroll creative to an independent creative. I called on every client and co-worker I ever designed for.

Integrity: I do what I say, when I say I’m going to do it. I’m on time to my meetings. I’m not perfect but I try to communicate as clearly and timely as possible. If a mistake happens because of me/my decision making, I will own the challenge, apologize for it, then create a solution.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.castellocreative.com