Director/Brand Guardian, Buttercrumble
Abigail and Chloe Baldwin are twin sisters, and founders of the award-winning agency, Buttercrumble. They specialize in playful branding and creative strategy for community-sensitive and family-friendly organizations. They are based in the UK and partner with brands globally, including the USA.
Their journey has been challenging. They are two young women in their 20s who grew up in a low socio-economic area with no business experience. Their story shares a down-to-earth, real perspective of starting a creative business (from scratch) with no frills, bells or whistles.
Their human-centric design drives the adoption of design-thinking in their clients’ campaigns. They show how beauty, play and functionality can exist in harmony. The studio has had the pleasure of achieving this for organizations such as John Lewis, Santander and UNESCO (to name just a few).
They are advocates for the creative industry, and have been quoted in The Telegraph, Modern Work, and Forbes.
Branding Starts at Home
Designers must remember to brand their own studio and embrace this. Every day, creatives take risks when they promote their design practice. They then continue taking risks every day, with every decision. It’s exciting, nerve-wracking and often eye-opening. Sometimes, it can be overwhelming, but that’s ok. If the designer is thinking about making the “right” move, then good — it means they care! It is also clear they are pushing boundaries, leaving their comfort zone and making progress.
It can be hard work carrying all the risk on their shoulders. However, a brand can make decision-making easier. The brand acts as a compass to help steer the ship, which can be empowering. Essentially, branding is an organization’s DNA and determines everything from behavior to identity. Designers know this well but often neglect this for themselves. It’s time for practical guidance.
The audience will learn:
1. Why designers need to consider their personal branding to differentiate themselves within this competitive world.
2. How to manage personal branding whilst still prioritizing work for clients.
3. Five “Quick Wins” which can be implemented today, to ensure a designer’s studio is ready to react to the ever-changing, and increasingly cautious society.
