We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Taylor Allen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Taylor below.

Taylor, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

I’m very hands on with my clients, and I pride myself on that. I don’t have work hours, contact hours, and most of my clients have my personal number. I’m very big on the creative process being a collaborative effort, so I love for my clients to feel included and comfortable with who they’re working with. It’s the reason my company is named after myself, and why I don’t hide my face or name. I want them to know they’re working with a real person that cares and is committed to their vision. I stand behind myself and my skill 100%. I’m sure that’s what separates me from a lot of designers in my field. No long list of prerequisites or outlandish policies, just pure creativity and mutual respect. I often post text message from my clients called “First Look Reactions” so that new clients who may be watching can see this relationship in real time.

Taylor, 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?

My name is Taylor Allen and I have been designing for about 10 years. I started designing in high school, and since I didn’t enjoy cooking or auto mechanics, I opted for the class where I could at least make t-shirts. This was my introduction to Graphic Design, and it was all because my high school had a print shop attached to it. I quickly became one of my teacher’s favorite students, and he ended up hiring me for the summer. This was an exclusive opportunity as he only hired one student at a time (and that student could work for him for all 4 years if he allowed!). My senior year I couldn’t afford the “Senior”package with all of the paraphernalia for my class, so I decided to make my own. After my peers saw my designs, they loved them! I ended up selling sweatshirts to about half of my class.

From there I went to college for Graphic Design as the “T-Shirt” girl, and this is where I learned all of the technique that I believe separates me from a lot of designers as well. I see beautiful designs every single day, but because I learned so much technique and form in college, I can quickly point out flaws regarding scale, balance, & harmony within designs. It’s one of those things that my clients appreciate about my work even if they don’t completely understand what it is.

The crazy part of my story is that I actually didn’t do so well in my college art classes. The head of the entire department told me I wouldn’t be able to work in the industry because of my “style” of design. I felt like he had it out for me, because he wanted me to conform to the art that he liked/was accustomed to. That’s the thing about art though, “the beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. I thought my work was great, but I trusted his opinion. The solution I came up with was to create my own company! My thought process was that if a firm wouldn’t hire me, I would just hire myself. I graduated, and I haven’t worked a job since

Design was the only thing that made my anxiety cease at the time. I could get lost in my art, and I could silence the world. I knew that it was something I was good at. I just had to find my lane, or rather, create it. I built my entire company from the ground up, and I have been blessed to be able to work with celebrities, Fortune 500 companies, and many household names. I have built brand identities, and I have watched my clients soar. Moments like this interview really remind me of how far I’ve come, and how each step was really leading me to the next.

Right now, my company mostly focuses on building brand identities on social media. Basically, I create instagram feeds for product/company rollout campaigns. This service and the traditional logo and website are my most booked services. I went from T-Shirts to building full marketing campaigns!

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

Interestingly enough I have never paid for ads or marketing of any sort. My clientele has been strictly based on 1) doing good work and 2) caring for the client. I am not against paying for ads or marketing either, I’m only saying this to say that word of mouth and a good reputation is truly the best marketing tactic to have. When you solve problems, your client will come running to you. When you do your job and do it well, people will gladly tell others about the service that you provided. I wouldn’t say I’m 10/10, I’m still human and everyone isn’t always satisfied, but I would definitely give myself a 9/10 in the client department.

I also show that I care about my clients and their goals. I hear what their vision is before I pitch mine. When a new client comes to me, I tell them “Congratulations!” on their new business venture. Small things like that really do make a difference, and I know that this is probably why I have clients who return and clients who tell others.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My business is on social media so I have to pivot A LOT. The internet is constantly changing and there is a new trend every 5 minutes. As a business owner you must be able to adapt, and I always tell people that “those that adapt the fastest make the most money”. Your ability to handle change, and pivot into success is what will separate you in any industry! People follow those that they can trust. If someone trusts you, they do business with you. I always keep this in mind.

The biggest pivot I had to make was restructuring my whole business in 2020. I took an entire year off from designing in order to get it right. This means that I cut off one of my main streams of income. I was starting to fall out of love with it. I didn’t enjoy my clients, and I was extremely discouraged. I took a sabbatical year to really understand what was next for me and where I went wrong. I was taking on too many clients and my prices weren’t reflective of the standard of work I was delivering. I didn’t really have mentors building the same exact kind of business I was so I had to learn a lot of things about design through trial and error.

Once I returned to designing, I had a whole new game plan that demanded proper pay, client focus, and long term partnerships with short term commitment. This is the structure of business that worked well for my goals and the lifestyle I wanted to live. I wanted my freedom, but I also wanted order.

Contact Info:

• Website: thewomanairedot.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/tayloredesigngroup

Image Credits
@shotbysimba @caughtbyhan