We recently connected with Dan Woychick and have shared our conversation below.

Dan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Woychick Design helps mission-driven organizations raise awareness, inspire donors, and move people to action.

Like many designers, I began my career by doing a little bit of everything – logos, brochures, publications, packaging, websites. The longer you do something, the more nuanced your understanding of what you *really* do, the value you provide.

For me, there was also the realization that just because a potential client looks fun or interesting, the entire universe is not a practical or viable target market. Deep expertise is valued. When an organization has a really important or challenging problem to solve, they don’t seek out a jack of all trades.

Looking at my body of work to that point, it became pretty clear that the clients I enjoyed working with the most – and the ones with some of the most successful outcomes – were the organizations that worked to make the world a better place.

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’ve been doing things that are kind of like design since I was a kid.

As a ten-year-old sports fan, I mailed two quarters and a couple of Rice Krispies box tops to buy a football board game. Because I was a designer at heart even then – a.k.a., control enthusiast – I modified and expanded the list of plays and introduced more dice to the game to make the outcomes more variable and realistic. Because I liked to draw, I started making up my own teams, logos, and uniforms. Then I played games between my teams, kept statistics, and even published a magazine.

Creating designs is still part of what I do, but today I tell people that if I have a superpower it’s the ability to absorb a lot of information and distill it into something actionable.

Woychick Design’s work is characterized by rigorous inquiry that helps us form a more holistic view of the organizations we work with. We believe that successful outcomes are built on a deep understanding of an organization’s people, traditions, and audiences.

By examining the current state of the organization, we seek to eliminate knowledge gaps, identify opportunities, and tailor our strategic and tactical recommendations to create value.

Our human-centered design process is time-tested and scalable to work with clients of all sizes and complexity. Our best relationships are with clients that:
– Focus on making the world a better place.
– Want to move people to action.
– Are committed to a strategic vision that guides tactics.
– Are interested in collaborating and skilled at articulating insightful questions and feedback.
– Understand the importance of communicating with both internal and external audiences.
– Have a good sense of humor.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Having asked clients for testimonials over the years, it’s always interesting what they appreciate. It’s almost never about the quality of the design. It’s usually about the quality of the experience – good communication, consistently delivering as promised, a commitment to solutions and outcomes.

Reputation is built on trust, and trust is hard-earned over years. There is no shortcut.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The business side of things – writing proposals, communicating value, calculating fair compensation, building good client relationships, and nurturing a network of colleagues – does not come naturally to most designers.

David C. Baker ran a workshop that inspired my transition to a more focused brand position and service offering. You can find his latest book here: https://www.expertise.is/

The writing of Blair Enns opened my eyes to better ways of running a creative business: https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/

Contact Info:

• Website: https://woychickdesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woychickdesign/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danwoychick/

Image Credits
Portrait by Scott Streble