We recently connected with Jonathan Barton and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jonathan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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.

In our agency, we pride ourselves on breaking away from the traditional norms of the design industry. While we work across diverse sectors, including ed-tech, web3, cosmetics, fashion, and more, we believe that design is fundamentally about problem-solving and effective communication, both digitally and physically. One area where we have chosen to stand out is in our increasing focus on Biotech, Biopharma, and Life Sciences.

These industries pose a unique challenge as they need to communicate with multiple audiences, including investors, medical professionals, patients, and potential buyers, depending on their exit strategy. Each of these groups requires different types of information presented in a way that resonates with them. Having personally invested in multiple biotech companies and having accumulated over a decade of design experience, I bring a comprehensive perspective to the table. I understand how to navigate and present technical jargon in a way that is easily digestible and relatable.

What sets us apart is our dedication to storytelling. We have noticed that many biotech companies, despite having incredible scientific advancements, struggle to effectively convey their message. Their websites often feel generic and inundate patients with technical details. They lack the ability to engage and connect with their audiences, particularly outside the medical professional circle.

Having attended numerous investment presentations, I experienced firsthand the overwhelming amount of content on each slide, making it hard to maintain interest and focus. Witnessing the missed opportunities for impressive digital presences for companies with groundbreaking science, I realized it was time to make a change.

In response to these challenges, we decided to step up and address the issue head-on. We aim to bring the art of storytelling to the forefront of our design strategy for biotech clients. By combining scientific knowledge with creative storytelling skills, we help these companies craft compelling narratives that captivate and inform their diverse audiences.

By collaborating closely with the teams at these companies, we created a visually appealing and emotionally resonant brand identity and presentation. We transformed complex scientific concepts into accessible stories that highlighted the impact of their work on patients’ lives and the potential for investors to contribute to groundbreaking advancements.

As a result, we have had companies experience a significant increase in investor interest, and their patient-focused materials received positive feedback from medical professionals and patients alike. This success reinforced our belief in the power of design and storytelling to bridge the gap between cutting-edge science and its broader audience.

In conclusion, our agency’s dedication to innovative design and storytelling in the biotech industry has allowed us to make a meaningful impact. By helping these companies communicate effectively with their diverse stakeholders, we contribute to advancements in science and medicine, bringing us closer to a future where groundbreaking innovations can positively impact the world.

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?

Through my experience over the last decade as a designer, entrepreneur, & working with companies from startups to Fortune 500 organizations, I’ve learned essential project management skills & developed self-discipline & motivation to design at the highest level. I have managed international teams in three countries on UI/UX, product development, & video production projects. I also have experience in product design where I filed two patents (for a medical device & fashion accessory). My companies & their products have been featured in several outlets including RealSimple Magazine, Rewardstyle, Good Morning Texas, Startup Week, & D Magazine. We provide a variety of services to our clients including: logos and branding, packaging, UI/UX, business consulting, product development, corporate training materials, deck design, industry reports, environmental design, signage, branded collateral, sourcing, and more.

We work based on extensive research & analysis of stakeholders, objectives, & project constraints. Doing the due diligence upfront allows us to move through a project quickly with limited re-work because there are clear expectations to measure against. This keeps budgets in check & goals on track. Working with a wide variety of industries including biotech, cosmetics, fashion, tech, web3, education, real estate, architecture, & more we are always on the lookout for new challenges & clients that resonate! We successfully provided our services for both Fortune 500 companies & small businesses alike. Depending on your needs we can function as an extra set of hands for a wide variety of projects that a typical design team may not have the bandwidth to do, or as a full design team if your business does not currently have one.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

At the core of my mission lies a commitment to employing human-centered design and design thinking principles, with the goal of bolstering my clients’ communication effectiveness, refining their product offerings, and ultimately helping them achieve their business goals.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Since my senior year in high school, I began taking on side projects, providing design services to clients such as the Boy Scouts. After college, I embarked on my first business venture, SpurStartup.com. However, due to content collaboration contracts falling through after 8 months of work, I started taking on extra design work to compensate for the burnout we were filling in our first business. I then transitioned to starting a fashion accessory company when my wife brought me the idea for a product to help keep her silk sleeves rolled, CuffedUp.com, which continues to operate alongside my other endeavors.

Throughout the past 8 years of nurturing these two businesses, I have consistently engaged in side projects, ranging from website design and branding to event and collateral design. These side projects served as a supplementary income stream, allowing us to reinvest profits into our primary ventures.

As CuffedUp.com gained traction and became self-sustaining, my design work gradually expanded as satisfied customers referred me to their friends and colleagues. My success revolved around prioritization, delivering exceptional work at a fair price that reflected the value I provided, and fostering genuine care for my customers. Treating people with respect and integrity was always at the core of my approach.

I fondly recall a turning point when I achieved my first $10,000 month, realizing the immense potential for growth if I focused on nurturing and expanding this business further.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chameleonbydesign.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-s-barton-82465266/