Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Mann.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kristen. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As a high schooler, I dabbled in graphic design courses and definitely considered myself a ‘creative’ – always making my own birthday and holiday cards for my friends and family… painting… sharpie drawing. My bedroom was covered in (poorly) hand-drawn typographic posters. My mom hated it! I decided that I wanted to try design as a career, and ended up in the Visual Communications program at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. Endicott is beautiful – but my favorite part of the school is the internship program requirements. Before graduating, you have to partake in 3 internships, which means you get tons of real-world experience before applying to “real” jobs after you leave the college. I still do work for one of my internship companies (shout out to DS Graphics in Lowell, MA!).
After Endicott, I worked for 6 months at DS Graphics and then decided to venture out into the city of Boston. I ended up at another local gem – Magic Beans, a baby gear and toy company with a national website and local stores in Cambridge, Brookline, Wellesley, Boston, Norwell and Fairfield, CT. Magic Bean is a small-business where you wear many hats, so I dabbled in quite a bit while working there for 2.5 years. As the sole designer, I was responsible for anything remotely creative – web banners, email design and coding, signage, branding and identity, event marketing, apparel design, photography and videography (definitely not my forte!) social media… you name it. I most likely covered it! I also freelanced for 5-10 hours a week on the side throughout my time spent there.
I loved Magic Beans – I credit the people there with my boost in self-confidence and skill-level – but I was ready to experience something else… retail can be very repetitive (and stressful). I was searching for new opportunities, but no job posting was really thrilling me. So, I decided to try freelancing full-time. I had already built up a decent-sized clientele – why not try to make it into a full-time business? The thought of working remotely for myself, having the flexibility to make my own schedule, and to be choosey with my clients truly spoke to me and my lifestyle. I was young, with no dependents… why not try it? And here I am! 8 months into being a small-business owner at the age of 25!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Is anything worth having ever created on a smooth road? To be honest, I am still learning what it means to be a ‘small-business owner.’ I am a detail-oriented, hardworking, dedicated designer, however, there is nothing that could have prepared me for the administrative component of my business. It’s been a learning experience – learning how to budget my time in order to incorporate things like invoicing, bookkeeping, marketing, and business management while still having a personal life.
I’m an ultramarathoner, hiker, and dedicated member of November Project Boston and all of those hobbies take up A LOT of time. It’s been hard for me to set boundaries between work and play – when you work for yourself, out of your own home, it can be difficult to stop working. One of my goals is to get out of the house more – whether it’s at a WeWork, a library, even a Starbucks. I never realized how important it is to separate home and work, not just for sanity, but for productivity!
It’s also been interesting trying to collaborate with others. When you work for a company, you’re surrounded by other individuals every day. Now that I work for myself, I have to make a conscious effort to seek out other people’s opinions and critique. I’ve joined a BNI group in Cambridge (shout out to BNI Milestone!) and am planning on joining more community spaces in the Watertown/Cambridge area in 2018. Having a community is so important for accountability.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kristen Mann Design – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a Graphic Designer who specializes in brand and identity as well as integrated marketing design strategy. What does this mean? I apply brand assets to create cohesive identities among all marketing platforms: whether that be print collateral, digital banners, social media posts, apparel, or email templates.
I’ve worked with brands as big as PUMA to create Snapchat filters for their events, and have helped small businesses get their brand off and running with simple signage. I like to say that “Creative Problem-Solver” is a better, more accurate title for what I do. I always tell people that there are two types of design out there… Super creative, big-picture design work (like logos) and then super technical, ‘boring’ design work (like manuals and other large typesetting jobs).
I’m most proud that I can do both well. Many designers only want to help large brands on massive, expensive projects, whereas a large part of my client work comes from small, quick-turnaround jobs like flyers, reports, postcards, etc. for small local businesses. I understand that each business has different needs and that most run on a tight budget. I truly believe that good design should be accessible to everyone, and I try to provide my services at a realistic cost.
I’m also known for my speed and efficiency – most of my clients will email me back after a round of design work is done saying something along the lines of, “holy cow, you’re fast!” I love to read those messages!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My goal for 2018 is to streamline. I’d love to minimize the amount of clients I work with so that I can focus more on the work at hand and not have to bounce back and forth between brands and assets. I’d love to work with larger companies that need more work, more often – commonly referred to as ‘retainer’ clients. It’s always a challenge in the freelance world to remain stable. I’ve been pretty lucky so far!
Another goal for this year is to work on my personal brand, which includes reorganizing and redesigning my website, branded materials, etc. I’d also like to create a stronger social media presence. I love Instagram and am hoping to get more involved on that platform with sharing my own work. Lastly, I’d love to write and design an ebook about design and freelancers someday – it came to me in a dream a couple months ago.
Maybe not this year, but within the near future. I love writing, and I love the idea of spreading knowledge in an easy, freeway. I think it’s important for ‘normal’ people to understand the importance of design in everyday life. I know there will come a time where I will need to add people to my crew – but right now, I am content with just me. I think there is quite a bit to learn before heading in that direction.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kristenmanndesign.com
- Phone: 978-973-3727
- Email: kristenmanndesign@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristenmanndesignllc
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