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

Esther, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I have found that all of the projects that I work on are meaningful to me. I have made it my business’ mission to work solely with clients and businesses who are actively making a difference in the world and dedicated to challenging the status quo in search of a better future.

My favorite project thus far has got to be my work with I Am A Scientist (iamascientist.info). This project was a fully custom website to reimagine the way that students see themselves in science. The initiative brings to the forefront the stories and science of real world scientists to help inspire the next generation of leaders in world-shaping fields.

As a minority myself I always found it difficult to see myself represented, and I am now so happy that there are more resources for teachers and students. This project allowed me to share my skillset by taking really big complex ideas and condensing them into digestible, engaging, and a fun website experience.

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 started my career working in the advertising and marketing industry. After a few years working in the global advertising industry and having my share of experience working with Fortune 500 companies, I felt a sense that something was missing for me. While I was able to work on projects that were “glamorous” and “made headlines,” I craved something more meaningful — work that would impact the world for the better. So, I left big-ad to move in-house to work at a nonprofit organization. My time there was incredibly valuable as I learned to connect with donors and a wider audience by sharing a mission and vision.

When COVID-19 hit, I decided to venture on my own to start Sereth Design with the intention to take my talents and experience to support small-to-medium sized businesses that were changing the world. Through Sereth Design, I am honored to work with entrepreneurs, social enterprises, and mission-driven brands all over the world to tell their stories and spearhead social impact.

Now, I work solely with nonprofits through strategic design, primarily in brand design and website design. At Sereth Design, we use storytelling, strategy, and design to help nonprofits touch lives and shape a more equitable world.

My approach to design is rooted in storytelling, which I fell in love with after experiencing culture and story from a variety of worldviews. My outlook on story is influenced by my childhood living abroad in China as an expat, interning abroad in Ghana during university, traveling to Kenya to visit clients-turned-friends, and the many friendships I have made from friends who live around the globe.

I have found it incredibly powerful to bridge the gap between culture and design and tell unique tales of lives lived. I find that through design, I get to tell stories, evoke emotion, and connect people across cultures and landscapes.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My primary goal through all the work I do is to use storytelling to evoke emotion, bring people together, and help people find common ground and work towards shared goals. I use design to do so because I find design to be an incredibly powerful way to communicate.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I first started my business and embarked on my “own” creative journey, I found myself trying to do everything myself. I quickly had to learn that art and creativity isn’t a solo thing. Humans are collaborative by nature. Collaboration and working together is how we create lasting impact.

If I did everything myself, not only would I burn out (and I have), but I’d also not have the most well-rounded, thoughtful products. Work is done best together as we learn from each other’s experiences, points of view and curiosities. Together, we create the future we want to live in – not alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.serethdesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sereth.design
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/serethdesign
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sereth.design

Image Credits

Joel Gonzalez