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

Emily, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

While I love this questions, I refuse to pick favorites. As a small business, every project that I have been brought on is meaningful because it allows me to live out my dream of someday becoming a Full-time Brand Strategist.

My process is unlike any other and it is a deeply personal and human experience. For that, I am truly grateful and appreciative of those who trust me enough to tell me about themselves, share their experiences with me, and trust me and the process to help their vision come to life.

It’s hard to pick just one project that is meaningful because every project that I work on teaches me something about myself, the work that I want to do, and the impact that I want to make.

Emily, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My journey to becoming a Brand Designer has not been linear. In fact, four years ago I did not even know this was something that existed.

I have always had a passion for art in different mediums, but growing up in a Hispanic household, art was not a “practical” career, so it remained as something I only did for fun. Until 2020. Like many others, I took the opportunity of having nothing to do to learn about Graphic Design which then led to branding and then strategy. I quickly realized that this was something that I wanted to pursue.

I believe that brands can influence change and make a difference in the world, yet I don’t see them embracing that. I don’t see brands standing loud and tall and proud in their values as much as they should or could. That’s where I come in. I work with businesses (small or large) who are ready to make a difference in their communities, industry, may I say even the world?

How did you build your audience on social media?

Unfortunately, when all the Instagram Gurus say “consistency is key,” they are not lying. However, most importantly is to show up as yourself and honor yourself above all.

It is so easy to get burnt out on social media, so I always recommend my clients and anyone else who asks to do what they can. It is so much more important to build connections and relationships on social media than to post three times a week.

I have built my presence and connections from just being myself and “finding myself” very publicly online. While it is what has worked for me, not everyone is comfortable sharing as much as I do or being as vulnerable as I am, and that’s okay! Experiment with what you feel comfortable with and remember that you can reinvent yourself a million times if that’s what you need to do!

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

Remaining true to myself above all. I am a representation of what I want to help people do. My brand and my business honors me, my values, my beliefs, and my work style first.

This means, I only work with people who believe in the same things I do and whose business values align with mine. Because of that, I am able to have amazing collaborations and partnerships that produce amazing outcomes.

And because I am so public about who I am and what my values are, I continue to attract those people and awesome collaborations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://santosandco.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santosdesigns.co/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyisabelsantos/