We were lucky to catch up with Madison Dixon & Andie Nordstrom recently and have shared our conversation below.

Madison & Andie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

We’re not sure there’s ever perfect timing for leaving the comfort of a steady job to jump ship and start something new! You obviously need to cover some practical bases—making sure you have some financial buffer and initial promising leads as you build your new business. It’s certainly quite scary to make the leap, but we haven’t regretted it at all. We’re close(ish) to the same age, so we had a similar amount of professional experience. While you could spend your entire career building up experience and skills working for someone else, we had enough confidence in our ability to build something together that we could make the decision to start Mad Goat Studio.

Rewind several years: we met on the creative team at an ad agency and became fast friends. Beyond that, we quickly connected over a shared love of branding and the joy we got from working with smaller clients with great stories and deep passion for their work. We found that there were often more opportunities to take risks creatively with them and that was thrilling for us. When we started Mad Goat Studio, our goal was to make more of that work possible.

We were very fortunate to be freelancing throughout 2020, so it was an ideal time for us individually. Companies were cautious and trimmed down during the uncertainty and subsequent budget freezes due to the pandemic, and we were low risk since we could be hired on a project-by-project basis. We took our time dreaming about what we wanted Mad Goat Studio to be, what we would be about, and what kind of work we wanted to be doing.

Entering into a partnership is no small deal. It requires a lot of difficult conversations about personal values, work styles, ideals, ways of handling stress, and—most fun of all—finances. While it’s been incredibly challenging, nothing beats working with a close friend and great clients, doing work with purpose, and knowing you’re learning and growing on a regular basis. We’re constantly humbled and forced to learn tough lessons, but we’re so proud of what we’re building together and wouldn’t trade it!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Mad Goat Studio is a boutique design studio founded by Madison Dixon and Andie Nordstrom. Madison lives in Brooklyn and Andie’s in Charlotte. Given we launched Mad Goat Studio in early 2021, we were already set up to collaborate remotely, (though we take every opportunity to work and hang out in person!). Our name isn’t just goofy—it has significance as well. Beyond Andie having an unhealthy obsession with goats, we liked the idea of having a bit of a mascot to embody what we hoped to be. For those unfamiliar with the extensive positive qualities of goats, they’re incredibly curious, agile, always grazing, and great at making friends with the orneriest of animals on the farm. We’re inspired by the brilliance of entrepreneurs with bold ideas and enough craziness to follow their curiosities—dare we say they’re a little mad?

After we both spent about a decade in design and advertising shops of all sizes, we started Mad Goat Studio to fill a gap. We noticed smaller and medium-sized businesses often become an afterthought in pursuit of big brand names. Throughout our careers, we found that we were most energized when we had a personal connection with our clients and their stories. While we offer a variety of design services, we absolutely love developing new brand identities for clients. Starting with a strong sense of their values, personality, and goals, we can craft a brand identity that is unique, ownable, and helps our clients tell a cohesive story.

As our name suggests, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. After all, storytelling and communication can be fun and it can take a lot to stand out. Rather than focusing on a particular industry, we partner with brands who value honesty and aren’t afraid to add their unique voice to the conversation. We’re drawn to adventurous people who are able to trust us as we help bring their ideas to life and feel incredibly honored to have worked with entrepreneurs in so many industries.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative in your experience?

One thing that bonded us from day one was the type of design work we drooled over. We both love the world of branding and the opportunity to tell a really unique story for a client. We work with a number of small business owners and start-ups where this venture is their baby. On a daily basis, we are meeting the most interesting people who are opening up to us about their dreams and passions. I mean, how cool is that? It’s like constantly having an amazing first date. We get giddy and excited, and immediately start daydreaming about how to bring this project to life. We believe our best work comes out when we know how much this means to the person on the other side. We didn’t always get to build that same connection in a bigger agency setting. There’s a little extra healthy pressure to not disappoint them. Seeing the excitement on our clients’ faces when we’re able to bring a vision to life, or better yet surprising them with something they had never thought of, is pretty unbeatable. We don’t think that feeling will ever get old.

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

We both came from the traditional agency life grind with a lot of late-night sacrifices, which many of us know is a quick road to burnout and an unhappy work-life balance. We knew if we were to start our own studio we didn’t want to go down that same path. We want to create beautiful and meaningful work with clients we feel passionate about. At the same time, one of our biggest goals is to make this business work for us. As business partners, we had to make sure our values and goals for our business were aligned with one another, and this was one mission we both felt really strongly about. The beauty and curse of being a business owner mean it’s up to us to set those boundaries and make sure we look out for each other’s health and happiness first. As hard as it is to turn away work, we know that if we take on more than we can chew, not only will the work suffer, but it won’t be sustainable for us. Of course, we’re far from perfect and have often found ourselves getting excited and saying yes to too much; but we always have that shared goal to remind us to get back on track.

Contact Info:

• Website: madgoatstudio.co
• Instagram: @madgoatstudio.co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71530997

Image Credits
Natalia Weedy, Julia Fay Photography, Tara Lilly & Co., Forrest Clonts Studio