Steve Jobs once said, “Find people who are competent and really bright, but more importantly, people who care exactly about the same things you care about.” In one single sentence, Jobs not only defined the importance of complementing an employer’s values with an employee, but he also laid out the business case behind culture marketing.
At Stratus Interactive, we’d like to think we’ve taken an innovative approach to culture building. It’s not the air hockey table, Nerf gun battles or Beer Friday festivities that define who we are. Culture is intangible; it’s the shared set of beliefs, practices, and values. Authenticity, personalization and self-expression is our native tongue. We push each other, rather than worry about stepping on toes. Not so hard that you fall over, but enough to make you want to keep on developing killer results for clients. Our culture is what gets our creative juices flowing, and our culture begins with our people.
In order to fully visualize our culture, we decided to sit down with one of our top Graphic Designers, Dianna Brosius, to hear what she has to say about working for Stratus Interactive.
How has working at Stratus improved your graphic design skills?
Prior to working at Stratus, I would design things to my own liking, what inspired me, and what I considered as “valuable.” Since coming on board with the Stratus team, the experience has trained me to think more strategically with every design decision that I make. Every design element I use, whether that be color, photo or text, is chosen for a reason. That reason is, what is the client’s goal? What will generate the highest results?
What have you learned at Stratus that you didn’t learn in college?
A lot! Majoring in Graphic Design at West Chester University, my classes were heavily focused on the art part of design (as they should). But when I first started at Stratus as an intern, I realized that there were a million different aspects of every design that I now had to think about. I had to be more strategic about everything I did, constantly thinking about the end product, as well as the user experience. I also had no knowledge of marketing whatsoever. However, after a few months of talking to my coworkers, taking Hubspot classes/certifications, and witnessing it first hand, I was confidently chatting up my marketing major friends about inbound marketing! Because I was able to learn the ins and outs of inbound marketing and integrated marketing, it made designing for our clients much easier!
Explain the culture at Stratus and how it assisted you in becoming the graphic design expert you are:
In my opinion, the culture at Stratus is the biggest reason employees come to work happy, and excited to be here. Everyone is incredibly supportive and my coworkers are a huge reason for my ongoing improvement in skills. Each person has something they’re really good at - and in this culture, it’s easy to absorb some of their unique skills and use them to make my talents even stronger! Design is a very competitive field, but in here, you’re a part of a team that is working toward the same goal - success for the client.
What has been your favorite client project?
I’ve been very fortunate thus far with the opportunity to work on so many great projects, however there is one in particular that stands out the most for me; H. Rose Kiddos - a full eCommerce website design from scratch. I was able to oversee the entire process from beginning to end; starting with the creative direction at the photo shoot, designing the website, and then creating a digital flipbook for consumers. It’s a fashion-forward clothing line for little girls 18 months to 6 years old and I love fashion, so it was exciting to work on something that felt like a natural fit to me personally.
How important is it to you, as a designer, to understand a client’s goal or intent of what you’re designing?
Extremely important! When something is created with only the design in mind...it’s very apparent and you feel the disconnect. As a result, you witness an unhappy client. I think it’s important to be on the same page as the client with what the end goal is. This can be tough as a designer - but that’s when support from your team members who are also close to the client comes in hand.
Lead generation is always important to our clients, but how important is the design of a piece of content that supports lead conversions?
Also an extremely important aspect of design! I may be a little biased as a designer, but when I’m looking at content in my free time (as a consumer), content that is poorly designed shouts “unprofessional” and “untrustworthy.” Good, clean design helps me trust the company behind it. It makes me feel like they spent the time and resources to present themselves in the best way possible and makes my experience more enjoyable. Also, if I’m in love with the design of an offer, I’d imagine their goods/services to be the same quality, and as a result, I would be more inclined to click on their offering and become a lead or customer.
What skill set do you pride yourself on most as a designer?
Innovation. I’m always trying something new. I know that as a designer I would easily become bored by creating the same thing over and over again - as I’m sure the customer would equally feel the same about seeing it. I try to push the envelope, while still maintaining the brand image of the company. It’s challenging, but it’s the kind of problem solving that makes graphic design so enjoyable!
How does it make you feel when something you have designed has produced major results?
What are the design processes for web design as far as strategy goes?
Although every client is unique in their own way, the general process of creating a strategy behind a web design is generally the same. When we get a new website project, our team’s first order or business is to look at their current website (if they have one) and weed through it. We take notes about how we naturally interact with each page on the website, what grabs our attention, what stumps us, frustrates us etc. Then we like to look at what others in their industry do - what seems to work for them and what doesn’t. Much of the process in the beginning is research and inspiration; private Pinterest boards are our team’s best friend for this. Throughout the entire actual process (site maps, wireframes, designs and development), we’re constantly collaborating with the design/development team as a whole, account managers, and the client to create the best experience for the end user.
It’s no secret that Dianna clearly holds a special place in her heart for graphic design at Stratus. We all truly work in a unique environment where our mission is to make our clients wildly successful, and we’re able to express who we are as individuals. As a full-service marketing agency, a strong cohesive team is better equipped to make the right decisions for clients which ultimately drives shared success.
It is our business to create experiences for YOUR customers. It’s not about a website design or an awesome offer, it’s truly about how we make your customers and prospects feel. If you are questioning whether your business is accomplishing this, schedule a quick call with us.
