Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kate Ross. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kate, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

Erica Joyce, founder of @winewashco, came up with a brilliant idea for a product. As a wine lover, she always faced the same problem when it came to enjoying her nightly glass…the clean-up. She was worried her stemware would break in the dishwasher and she got tired of hand washing. So she came up with a solution in the form of a simple, yet effective gadget that lets you safely wash your wine glasses in the dishwasher. She had a product and a vision for her brand, but she needed help with bringing it to life. That’s where I came in. I helped her with her branding (logo, colors, fonts), product design (sponges, cleaning gloves, dish towels), and packaging design. We wanted it to feel fresh and sophisticated, while also fun and clever. Her brilliant ideas and witty lines paired with a clean, elevated design proved to be a hit. Wine Wash® was featured in publications like The Skimm, shared by several lifestyle influencers on social, and can now be found in 55 retailers across the country. One of my favorite customer testimonials is “As soon as I found Wine Wash Co., I fell in love with their gorgeous branding and products that actually make my life easier.” It was extremely rewarding to see Erica build her business from the ground up and to be a part in her success.

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 background and context?

I’ve always had a passion for art. It began with sketching everything I laid my eyes on and it wasn’t until college that I was introduced to graphic design. Learning about typography, visual design and advertising changed my world. I always knew I was a visual person, but being able to tell a story, sell a product or service, and bringing ideas to life using my skills was something I couldn’t get enough of. I’ve been in the advertising world now for 11 years, where I’ve worked on all aspects of advertising – print, digital, social, packaging, branding and experiential.

I’ve worked at some large agencies on some big name clients, but to be honest, the most rewarding work is the work I do for start ups and small companies like Wine Wash Co. I’m currently an Associate Creative Director, but my heart is in design. Everything from designing a logo to designing a wedding invitation suite. I welcome any project where I get to bring someone’s vision to life, elevate their brand, or just make something beautiful.

If I had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be: “I’m a designer, dog mom, horror movie enthusiast, and at the end of the day all I want to do is make cool sh*t.”

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been to do great work. Word of mouth is the highest form of flattery and the best way to meet new clients and help them with their brand. I’ve had the pleasure of helping many coworkers who have seen the work I do for our agency and want my help in the success of their own ventures. I’ve also gotten new projects based on client recommendations. Each time a client leaves happy, that’s a chance to form a new connection with someone in their network who may need help in telling their story.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I don’t have some big mission or goal that drives my creativity. It’s actually really simple…I just want things to look good. If a presentation looks good, you have more confidence in selling the idea. If an invitation looks good, your guests are more excited to attend the event. If your branding looks good, customers are more likely to notice it and buy your products or services. Helping clients bring their ideas to life in a visual way and them being successful because of that, is the biggest reward and what keeps my creative passion going.

Contact Info:

• Website: kateaross.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateaross/