We recently connected with Jess Malli Mercier and have shared our conversation below.

Jess, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I was sitting at my kitchen counter working on my outdated laptop that may as well have been held together by duct tape. I had just taken a huge plunge and purchased a Silhouette, one of those fancy, vinyl and paper cutting machines that were all the rage four years ago). I had been dying to get one and they were a somewhat large investment, but my husband surprised me that year for Christmas. I cried when I opened it, knowing that somehow it was going to lead to something important.
The Silhouette was really the second milestone. A few months prior, not yet Houstonians, I had been working late nights, away from my babies and husband. We were passing ships. One night he got a call from a friend in Houston, who had a job opening with his company. I quickly replied, with the conviction of a true New Englander who had never lived more than an hour from home, “We are NOT moving to Texas.”

Twenty-four hours later, we decided that a better life was waiting for us if we took a chance. We sold our house, packed up, and moved to Houston a little over a month later, with a 15-month-old and a 2-year-old who we had just started receiving special needs services for.

We stayed with friends for a few months before finally settling in our own place. My husband got into a routine at his new job, leaving me to spend time with my girls and figure out what I was going to do. I knew I wanted to stay at home with my girls. We were facing some struggles with two small children, one on the path toward an Autism diagnosis. I remember my husband telling me:, “You have time to figure out what you REALLY want to do.” That was something I never had before: the possibility of figuring out why I was really here. Like many others, we lived paycheck to paycheck, scrambling from bill to bill, not leaving a lot of time for creative freedom.

I had always been creative, as a child, an adolescent, and in my 20s. I loved my time at art school, but I dropped out telling myself that a career in art wasn’t in the cards for me – I wasn’t talented enough. Imposter syndrome rearing its ugly head. I always fell back on the restaurant business because it was safe and fun.

So here I was at my kitchen counter with this Silhouette machine bound and determined to make something of myself. I started making decaled shirts for friends. I started making friends. I joined a few Facebook groups. I shared my work. I learned the software and created all my own designs. This was about the point where my love affair with fonts began. I scrolled through the night like I was searching for my long-lost soulmate, the perfect font for my next design.

I continued sharing work with my online friends until one day, someone asked me where I got my design. When I told her I had created it myself, she asked if I did logos. “Sure!” I said. After that day, I had a flood of messages in my inbox asking me to design logos for them. So, I did – and every job I got taught me more and more.

I grew with every job that I took. I started digging deeper, asking more and more questions. “What kind of people do you make products for?”, “What is the thing that matters most about what you do?”, “How do you connect with people?” I slowly started adding on color palettes and typography choices, learned about this whole world of logos and why you could possibly need more than one logo!? (Yes, that’s right, you need a whole suite of logos, for different reasons.)

To this day, I strive for more: more knowledge, more additions to my services, more people to help. Somewhere along the way, I found my true passion, the ability to help other people make their dreams happen through branding and design.

I think back on the day we chose to move to Texas. The l shot of whiskey I swallowed down that gave me the gumption to say, “Yes, let’s do it,” knowing somehow it was going to lead me into a different zone of my life. Buying the Silhouette, which I originally thought was going to be a fun little shirt-selling side business. Taking a chance by saying yes to my very first logo, then to my first brand package. They have all been stepping stones and I have plans for more. Much, much more.

Jess, 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?

First and foremost, I am someone that feels a lot of things. When I was a young girl, I was often described as full of drama. I am the one that cries at commercials and knows that it is the energy of emotion that truly connects us all. As I grew into my adulthood, I harnessed my emotions with art. To put onto canvas a feeling that I had and to make the viewer feel something as well, was an ultimate goal of mine. When they told us that it was time to choose a major, graphic design was so far from what I was comfortable with. It was computers and calculations. It seemed cold to me. It wasn’t in my comfort zone of paint-covered jeans and raw emotions. Today, I realize the full spectrum of beauty that graphic design has to offer.

When branding a client’s business, it is all about connection and emotion. The way a font can tell your story. It took me a while to understand the TRUE love of the perfect traditional serif font (those are the fonts with the little, tiny line at the end of the characters) paired with the modernity of a sans serif (those ones don’t have the little line.) The detail of an ampersand and how it curves, does it have style in a slightly risky way, or is it straightforward with no if, &s, or buts? When you see someone’s business card for the first time, does it really just tell you what their phone number is, or where to email them, or does the way it FEEL tell you the story of how it is to work with them? Is it soft to touch? Or is it a sustainable company that only uses recycled paper? Is it premium and luxurious?

Did you also know that a color can take you on a journey? I know that there is a specific tone of blue that feels like a sturdy yet worn pair of blue jeans. They are dependable, and you trust that they are classic, and hardworking. They are there for you when you need them, and you can also be comfortable with them, like an old friend from high school, who somehow always picks up the phone when you call, even if it has been months since you have spoken.

I could get lost in the details, the tiny details that we don’t know have an effect on us, but subconsciously, they really do.

Building a full brand takes so much consideration. It doesn’t rest on strictly what is aesthetically pleasing. It really is much more than that. Branding should be attractive and get people to connect. It is strategic and emotional. Branding must be timeless and take risks. It has to show people who you are, but crafted in a way that attracts a certain type of customer. Branding is a beautifully balanced ballet, and I am captivated by the process.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

There are two methods that are most effective in growing your clientele. First, do great work. Give an amazing client experience. I am honest and personable with every single one of my clients. I am communicative and open to any and all feedback. I am there to nurture the relationship and to support them in their future endeavors. When a project is finished, I never hope that it is the last time I hear from a person. I am always there to support designs in the future as well as on social media with a like, a share, or a purchase. I stand behind everything that I do, and I educate the whole way through. I am grateful for the people that invest in me. I know that this often leads to growth in my business through client referrals. Nothing makes me happier than a happy client that spreads the word about the work I have done for them.

The other way to grow your business is through networking. I have joined a women’s group called Women Wine and Wellness, that changed the path of my business. It is an inspiring group based on true connections that values women from all walks of life and business. Meeting people who want to know you and what you do and want to lift you up and help you succeed is life changing.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

This is such an interesting question. I often hear, “Oh my gosh, you are so creative, I wish I was as creative as you!” I really think that if people can open their minds to it, they will realize that they are creative, we just have different ways of expressing it. One of my favorite movies is Good Will Hunting. I love the part when Will, the main character, explains that what he does with math is like Mozart and the piano, that when it came to that subject, he could “just play”. Now, I’m no Mozart – in fact I have very little rhythm and zero musical abilities, but when it comes to my ability to express myself by making things, I can just do it.

Writers write because they have a natural aptitude for it. Painters paint. A friend of mine is consumed by systems and apps that automate and keep track of tasks. I love when she talks about how they all connect: it is so easy for her, because her brain is wired that way. I have another friend who is an organizer -she loves putting everything in its place because it makes our lives easier. She has a gift for helping people let go of clutter, emotionally and physically.

People’s brains are extraordinary. A few years ago, I made it a goal to pay more attention to people and what they do, and to notice the gifts they bring to the table. My daughter’s first grade teacher, the woman who took the extra step picking out the perfect eyeshadow to match my complexion, the friend that sells essential oils that took time to ask about our routines and where we needed help. These people all showed so much creativity in the way they think, in how they interacted with me, and in their decision-making process leading me through their sea of knowledge.

Creativity is more than being able to make stuff, it is a way of thinking. We are all creative. The key is allowing yourself to understand how you use it

Contact Info:

• Website: jmmartistdesigner.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/jmmartistdesigner
• Facebook: Facebook.com/jmmartistdesigner

Image Credits
Natalie J Photography