Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessamyn Anderson and Sheila Bridgland.
Jessamyn and Sheila, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story started a long way from where I am now. My three siblings and I grew up in England. When I was 7 years old my parents decided to take us all out of school for a year to travel through Europe in a VW bus before we moved to the US. Experiencing the beauty and history of so many different cultures, seeing the magnificent architecture of cathedrals and castles, visiting art galleries and trying local foods broadened my view of the world and has influenced my entire life.
My whole family are in the creative field and entrepreneurs, and each one of my siblings remember that year as a focal point for their future career decisions.
Fast forward to July 2004. The birth of my daughter, Cassidy, coincided with a job transition for Sheila (my mother and also my partner at Dingo Creative), who had been working in England at the time as a creative director. We decided to take the big step and start our own creative agency – Dingo Creative. Not only did we start this new business, we started two! Nothing like jumping in with all four feet! Of course, we hadn’t seen a recession coming which quickly put an end to the second company and we concentrated on building Dingo Creative.
Having had formal training in graphic design, we were completely at home with providing our growing client list with their branding and print needs, but realized that we needed to round out our services with effective web design, so I spent six months honing my web skills and added that to our list of available services. Now our web design and development has become the leading demand from clients backed up by strong branding, print collateral and social media.
It has been quite a ride. We are proud of the progress over the last 14 years and despite many ups and downs, the ups are definitely leading now. Keeping a positive attitude and making work fun is essential to success. “Do what you love – love what you do”.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been altogether smooth. We started our company in 2004 and built it by joining various groups – networking and Chamber of Commerce’s. Our biggest obstacle was when the recession hit in 2008-2009 – very tough year for us. After that year we realized we needed to add more services to our company so I honed my skills in Web Design for 6 months. That is now the biggest demand of our company. We have definitely had more ups than downs but we realize it is important to have the downs as it focus’ us on where we want our company to go. We are now on our 14th year and it’s been amazing.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Dingo Creative – what should we know?
Dingo Creative started back in July, 2004 – we are into our 14th year this month. We have grown to include a circle of talent that includes experts in web design, graphic design, content marketing, SEO, photography, videography and much more. We are a mother/daughter design team specializing in creating unique designs that get you found through thoughtful marketing. Our designs are created to make brand achieve maximum impact and to drive response.
I am the Web Design Director at Dingo Creative. I design websites on WordPress, SquareSpace and various other platforms. Sheila is our Graphic Design Director and she focuses on branding, logos, print and marketing materials.
One thing that sets us apart is that we work closely with our clients. We believe that by meeting them (if possible), rather than working at a distance, a bond is established and information flows smoothly between client and designer. Creating a marketing strategy can be difficult for any business owner, so by making the steps less stressful, our clients enjoy the process.
The second thing that we believe sets us apart is that we have a design background. Anyone can learn the technical side, but not everyone has a natural talent in design. The first impression of a website or a print piece is visual – a good design creates a positive reaction and propels the viewer to explore further. Although technical back-up is vitally important, it is good design that gets you viewers and ultimately customers.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Keeping a positive attitude and making work fun is essential to our success. “Do what you love – love what you do”.
Contact Info:
- Address: 79 Market Street, Unit 3
Amesbury, MA 01913 - Website: www.dingocreative.com
- Phone: 7817102229
- Email: janderson@dingocreative.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dingocreative/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/DingoCreative/
Image Credit:
Photo of Jessamyn Anderson and Sheila Bridgland: Maureen Cotton of Inner Life Portraits
Transformations and Old House Whisperer website photography: Stephanie Rosseel Photography
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