Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Gesuero.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was always a “creative” kid, always drawing, making pictures, making music. I studied photography in college, and shortly after graduation, I started taking on photo gigs, while exploring this exciting new field called “web design”. I immediately fell in love with designing for the screen, and soon after, I landed some great design jobs at various agencies and start-ups (back when we called them “dot-coms”) around Boston, and started taking on freelance design gigs as well. Soon, the freelance work started to take off, and I was working all day and night, juggling a job during the day and freelance design at night. In 2004 (right around when the Sox won the World Series), I had a health scare, and realized I had to choose a path. I decided to take the plunge, quit my day job and build my freelance work into a full-time career. My wife Beth joined me as a partner soon after that, and I haven’t looked back since.
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?
Nope! I’ve made nearly every mistake possible along the way. But every one of those mistakes was a learning experience that allowed me to grow as a designer, and as a business owner.
Building a team was a particular challenge for me: in the beginning, I really didn’t know how to manage people, or be a leader for them. It took me years to learn how to support them, encourage them, and really inspire them to do their best work. It forced me to change my relationship with design: when I was freelancing, I did everything: logos, web design, coding. Once I decided to start building a team, I had to learn to let go, to trust others, to let them shine so that only the very best work was coming out of our studio.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Image Conscious Studios – what should we know?
We’re a digital studio that helps brands find their voice and tell their story. We’ve worked with national brands like New Balance and ’47, as well as local start-ups and one-man brands, building long-term partnerships that allow us to become an extension of their internal teams. These tight-knit relationships provide us with insights that inform our work and allow us to make a real impact.
We partner with brand owners and marketing teams to define their vision, refine their brands, and create meaningful interactive experiences that resonate with their customers. These experiences create meaningful connections between brands and customers, driving real results for their business.
We also believe in doing deep discovery work at the start of any project so we can be immersed in the goals, pain points, and nuances of our clients’ businesses. Once we have this informational foundation, we can create almost any design imaginable, and know that we’re basing our work in a sound understanding of what our clients are trying to achieve.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
A willingness to listen to others, to recognize that there’s always more to learn, and to always push myself to be my best. Also, you need a pretty good sense of humor to survive this gig!
Contact Info:
- Address: 63 Maverick Square, #9
Boston, MA
02128 - Website: www.icscreative.com
- Email: hello@icscreative.com
- Instagram: @icscreative
- Twitter: @icscreative
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