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

Krista, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

Having been in the industry for 20 years, I’ve seen my share of trends. QR codes were huge back in 2010, then faded out, only to come back strong during the pandemic. Our phones are built better to handle these now and it allows for hands-free communication when going out in public. We’ve also gotten much better at incorporating them into pieces rather than the original 1″ minimum on a white background look which (personally) ruined the aesthetic of a lot of work. Progress!

It’s been very interesting to see a lot of 70s design coming back and thanks to Canva, most templates all share similar styles which inevitably, make it trendy.

Colours play a huge part as well. In the wedding industry, blush and nudes have and still remain very popular. Black and white is timeless, and dusty blue had a moment as well. Currently colours are coming back into play and we couldn’t be more excited!

However, with social media, following a trend or “trending” is how you get seen. So I think there’s some importance with following trends for TikTok and Reels, but style-wise, this can and should be uniquely YOU. I think it’s important to offer versatility rather than copying trends. Wishtree Design Inc. doesn’t have one style. You’re hiring us to adapt your brand and execute creative pieces based on your company’s look and feel, not based on ours. Same applies to weddings; we can create a soft and romantic suite for one couple and something bold and funky for another. Trends are exactly that; a style in time that’s meant to go out as quickly as it came in. We focus on longevity and brand integrity rather than what’s trending for that season.

Krista, 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?

I’m Krista Murphy, a graphic designer from Ottawa, Canada. I graduated from the Graphic Design program at Algonquin College back in 2006, with honours and an already established career at an advertising agency. I worked my way up from filing on cd’s (aging myself here) to art director, designing for some of the company’s top clients. Specializing in brand and print design, I have lead photoshoots, designed campaigns, created full brand identities and custom events around the city. Seeing my work out in the wild is what keeps me moving forward. It fills my soul to see clients proud of their brand.

While juggling that fast-paced agency life, Wishtree Design Inc. was started as a passion project with a friend. We wanted an outlet to design prettier things, which filled a void in the wedding industry. Wishtree quickly became one of Ottawa’s top invitation companies for the luxury market and continues to book up each year. After year 5, I bought out my friend and took over Wishtree as sole ownership. From there, I expanded our offerings to brand design (my first love) and have had the opportunity to rebrand many vendors in the wedding industry along with many local companies. We’re celebrating 15 years in business and have expanded our reach (we now work with some fantastic American clients) and our expertise (brand styling; food, products and lifestyle for photoshoots).

While juggling both advertising and Wishtree, burn out reared its ugly head when the pandemic hit. My priorities shifted and I realized something had to go. By the grace of God, lots of therapy and the support of everyone around me, I left the advertising agency to pursue Wishtree full time. Within the first year, I hit 6-figures and surpassed my agency salary, all while no longer having panic attacks and building a healthy work-life balance.

Taking the leap to build my career the way I wanted and not put up with toxic hustle culture or intimidation tactics only pushed Wishtree harder to succeed. We are so proud and honoured to work with each and everyone one of our clients. They trust us to bring their brand to life. To be heard. To be proud of their own brand. One of our most favourite jobs to date has been with a local family-run pizza shop that also offers ice cream. They hired us to design a brand and wrap for their first truck. After the first truck was such a huge success, they purchased another truck and had us design it sight-unseen. Nerve-racking for sure, we had the whole “move that bus” moment where we did a grand reveal and the crowd went wild! To have them trust us so much to invest in our services and full truck wrap was a huge career highlight. We have since created a third truck for them (surprise design once again) and all three have become iconic around Ottawa.

Our design-bucket list is long, but we’re proudly crossing some incredible jobs off our list; restaurant brand and signage, cannabis packaging design, a craft brewery beer can design, spa packaging found all over the world for Bathorium and cookbooks for Chef Julie Houser in Seattle. We’re open to any and all design opportunities and quickly become your biggest fan when learning your brand and building it.

Any advice for managing a team?

I can speak on both sides to this. Having worked in an agency for most of my career, I witnessed many highs; team building, holiday parties, coworker lunches, brainstorming sessions, leaving on time, bonuses, etc… and I witnessed the lows; layoffs, pandemic, no bonuses, no raises, no more team building, no time for collaborative play, overtime, lunches at my desk, toxic management, micro-managing, negative peers, burn out, etc…

The work hard, play hard mentally took a dive when we lost one of our largest clients. Changes happened that were supposed to be temporary and they still remain to this day. Management became tone deft to their employees and (from an empath point of view) turned to survival mode to just “pump it out”. Morale was incredibly low, people were miserable and burn out took over.

As an employee, I would have loved for management to “check in” with us. (although if I’m being honest, one of the managers was not someone you could go to without getting your head bitten off) so having a proper HR would be key. Along with bringing back the camaraderie amongst the office. (we’d get snapped at if we were caught talking). It doesn’t have to cost money but offering up a pot luck together, or half-day off, compliments from clients. Something (anything) to show that they value their employees. This goes so far in any industry. Show value for those working for you.

As an owner, I value and affirm my team often. With every email, with every paycheque, with every conversation. I am grateful for their time and dedication. I believe that affirmation goes a long way. It’s free and it’s genuine. Whenever local events come up, they’re the first people I reach out to to join me. I give them space to be creative and try new things and above all, I give them confidence to move forward, whether with Wishtree or elsewhere.

Communication is key with anything you do. Always be clear with your expectations and praise them when they hit it. If they miss the mark, have that conversation and brainstorm together how to improve. At the end of the day, we’re a team working towards success.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The biggest reward is seeing my clients happy and proud of their brand and pieces. I’m a huge cheerleader with my clientele. I get very invested in their story and passion and bring it out through their designs. Whether it’s a business or a wedding client, every piece I create is unique to them.
We always start with a conversation where I learn what makes them tick. I involve my clients in the process as well. I will never just give them one option, instead they’ll receive several and we’ll narrow it down from there. Giving my clients control over their own designs add to their love of it. And seeing my work in the wild completely validates my efforts and makes my heart sing. Even though no one else may realize that I’m the creative behind that logo you see, or that store signage you walked past, or the invitation you received in the mail, it still gives me so much joy knowing that it’s being used and displayed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wishtreedesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wishtree_design
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krista-murphy

Image Credits

@PBEcreativeco | Photographybyemma.ca