We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniela Yepez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniela , thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

To me, being successful is to have the ability to push away the fear. The fear of dreaming big even it seems be unreachable. If you allow yourself to freely dream, then you have completed half of the work. Honor those dreams because you will find, within yourself, an inexplicable strength in order to pursue them.

I think that my story is a clear example of listening to my dream and accomplishing every step to make it happen. My wish of being an international creative started in 2014 when I graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and it has shaped my life. I moved to NYC to start my professional journey where I worked for a year with my optional practical training. I wanted to stay in that city but I couldn’t get the work visa so I had to move back to Ecuador. It was a situation I couldn’t control but I took it as best as possible. I made use of my country´s connections and opened my design firm DAYE. I kept working for my purpose even though it wasn’t NYC. In Ecuador, I was able to generate a very nice portfolio and suddenly my international projects started knocking at my door. I always knew I wanted to expand my talent to other countries and the US was the place I wanted to stabilized my brand. Accordingly, I started working for that goal and I got my green card. It was granted to me due to my professional background which fell into the US extraordinary ability criterion program.
Now, I keep visualizing more dreams and I am excited to see what is coming next.

The process is never lineal, it has so many ups and downs and to see results takes time. It is very important to keep your mind open, keep yourself adaptable to certain unexpected circumstances and accept that there will be many moments you won’t have control over them. I know it sounds very cliché but you will have to view those sudden situations with positivism and trust they are part of the process. If you are genuinely doing everything under your power, everything will fall into place.

To be successful is to constantly be a perseverant dreamer.

Daniela , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am Daniela Yépez founder of DAYE Conceptual Design, a creative studio that offers conceptual strategies, interior design, architecture, product design and branding identity. DAYE has another branch that focuses in developing boutique real estate projects.

We want clients to find in our firm a holistic creative service to make sure their concept is well accomplished and well used among the different design areas.
The only thing the client has to worry about is to have a great time with us. They will receive personalized attention and their projects will become our little children.

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

I have always been drawn to experiential design and I knew that I wanted my brand to denote that quality. I try to keep that feature very present in every single part of my business; in its logo, creative direction, working environment, marketing and service. The reputation is built when everything is connected under the same concept. Every single detail matters, even how you serve your client a cup of coffee. Reputation is built with consistency and a good identity.

While working in NY, I fell in love with how boutiques companies offers personalized treatment to their clients. That’s where my main service inspiration came from. Every single moment your client shares with you, has to be a magical and an unforgettable experience. When a client comes to me, I try to make them feel away from the typical corporate environments and doctrines. I try to make them feel they are in a nice café.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I truly believe we: artists, designers, and creatives in general are very sensitive. Our ability to introspect is incredibly rewarding. This gift to be sensitive and empathic, I believe is the secret ingredient to creating memorable and reacting designs, art, as well as generating creative solutions. Our capability to see the abstract in the literal world, connect with clients emotionally and understand them to then create for them a design is magical and I think that is the most fulfilling aspect: To convert an abstraction into something tangible.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.designbydaye.com
• Instagram: @designbydaye
• Other: www.district.ec
• IG: district.ec