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

Alright, Nader thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I began my career as a junior graphic designer when I was 23 and ever since, I had a vision of running my own design shop. When that would come to pass was never set in stone—it was merely decided that when the time was right it would happen. Fast forward 10 years and I was in a street car in Munich passing a tattoo parlor called “Black Rabbit.” However, I glanced at the sign so quickly that I misread it as “Black Ribbit”.

I was immediately swimming through visions of tree frogs—black ones, green ones, translucent ones and beyond. These visions sparked a journey through the symbolism of the frog—a creature who represents empathy and compassion, transformation, and the wisdom to empower oneself.

These are qualities that are instilled in me not only when I collaborate with people, but also in the way that I interact with my environment.

These visions and symbols resonated with me on such a deep and personal level that I felt it was in the stars to make this the name of my design shop. And by the time I was ready to launch my brand, I linked up with one of my first team members and together we created Blackribbit with the happy little tree frog as our mascot aptly named Kismet.

Through my experiences working for as an employee, learning under my mentor and finally getting a masters degree, I discovered that my empathy, ability to listen, and honesty really stood out. In addition to my meticulous sensibilities towards research and data, this approach is what I wanted to apply to my own brand and business model to distinguish my approach to branding and design.

The result of this approach is absolute joy and awe in the eyes of our clients—sometimes to the point of tears—and it was makes us so excited to do the work.

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?

As a child and growing up through my teenage years, my family moved internationally every three years and as a result, I was very much an introvert and sort of kept to myself. An astute observer with a keen eye for details, I noticed all the changes in and around my life and began asking questions about meaning and interconnectedness—beginning at age 7. I found solace in art, in drawings, and playing.

By the time I reached university, I was studying graphic design and the art and science of communication through aesthetics. This was a place I felt comfortable. It felt like I was where I needed to be, and as I excelled in my career, I immersed myself more deeply into design as a theory and way of thinking which finally led me to a master’s in design management where one learns how to manage problem solving via design thinking principles—which in essence, includes all obstacles in life.

While this discipline can truly lead one down any path surrounding research, development, academia, technology, and so on, I found my calling in branding. We interact with things every second of the day, and those things tend to be part of a bigger picture, a longer story, and a deeper meaning. Something as trivial as a pencil or Q-tip might seem insignificant, but when you begin thinking about where that item came from, how it ended up in your hands and why you use them at all, your perspective will most likely widen. The meaning behind the feelings we experience when we interact with something is a version of our individual truths, and that is branding. At Blackribbit, that is what we uncover when we work with clients.

We help them discover their truth, the meaning behind the feelings and emotions that motivate them and their customers to act and choose them. That truth can manifest through tangible things like a logo, a website, a book, an event, a product or service, but it is that truth that drives our decision making.

Through deep research, conversations and workshops we help our clientele develop frameworks for their businesses that creates confidence and certainty in their workflow, processes and activities. Seeing relief and ultimate clarity in our clientele is what we are most proud of.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

We repositioned our brand to target the hospitality space in the Fall of 2019; 5 months before the beginning of the Corona virus pandemic and first global lock down. This event was detrimental for the hospitality space—events, hotels, restaurants and more. Blackribbit had barely been around a year and we hadn’t yet even put our big-boy pants on.

We had 2 options: close down shop, or power through. We powered through. We maintained our course, and networked with the hospitality space through 2020 and immersed ourselves into a very tight-knit, yet welcoming industry, talked shop and preparation for when the dust settles. Meanwhile I was reminded of my own reputation and sense of loyalty as former colleagues and clients came to our rescue through various gigs.

We made it through 2020 pretty well, then 2021 was a total bust. We downsized completely and once again, stayed the course. By the time 2021 rolled around things started picking up again and we are now in an upswing with an established team working together to win for ourselves and for our clients. Here’s to taking it one moment at a time !

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

Network, network, network. Warm outreach with value-driven messaging that relate and resonate with your audience goes a long way. I highly advise against blasting a list with the same message, it shows you haven’t done your research. What does it sound like when you tell a web design agency that you can help them with web design?

Follow up with people. If you can meet in person, have lunch. And don’t be afraid of small jobs—it shows what you can do, which gets you the clout, which builds reputation, which brings in referrals and organic leads.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://blackribbit.com
• Instagram: @blackribbit
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/nadersafinya