Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danielle Gutherie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Danielle, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
My studio acts as a fractional creative team to support organizations that cannot have a design team on staff. I am their go-to Creative Director. I sit in meetings, advise and provide direction to my team of designers, their staff, and outside vendors. As a result, we become deeply integrated into their business needs to be proactive in our roles, as we would if we were on staff.
Danielle, 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 have been in the design field for over 25 years, never straying from it, although my skills have significantly evolved. I started with an art degree and worked at an agency in Michigan in packaging, communications, and web design (early web). In 2000 I took a leap of faith and moved to San Francisco, joining a few start-ups and eventually opening my boutique design studio, Humble Design, in 2020.
The primary service we provide to our clients is full-stack brand development, which starts with getting clarity on their brand through developing a brand strategy, the visual articulation, and creating their various communications pieces through all their customer touchpoints. I am a big believer in gaining a solid foundational understanding of my client’s businesses so that I can act as a trusted advisor to build an authentic brand that will help them stand out and develop their business.
We provide holistic branding and communication expertise that allows our customers to move forward in their businesses. My clients have gone from infancy to millions+ — which would not have been possible without a solid brand foundation to build their business.
I am most proud of the teams I’ve built over the years. The creatives I’ve helped grow and evolve and the work we’ve done together.
The thing to know about working with me? Well, I’m a bit sassy. I’ll tell you what you may want to avoid hearing. And if we work together, I’ll push hard to build you the best brand and comms system so that you can build your best business.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I have only ever bootstrapped my business. I learned what I needed to know when I couldn’t hire expertise and got it done the best I could.
I’ve built lasting partnerships with my clients, so we have consistent income.
I’ve learned to outsource when it makes sense for me to be using my time on more valuable tasks.
And I try to stay focused on only a couple of things at a time beyond client work.
Lastly, slow growth.
Have you ever had to pivot?
After leaving my last start-up, I wanted to move into more of a Creative Operations role. I was feeling burnt out and needed a change. However, after getting pretty far along in interviews…well, COVID. So I had to decide what to do next. I had considered going solo again and felt the universe was pushing me in that direction. From there, Humble Design was born.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://humbledesign.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humbledesign/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellegutherie
Image Credits
headshots – Roseanne Bath