Charli Marie - Lessons in career growth and creativity

The Perfect Mix of Art and Science in Branding and Marketing Design

Brandon Marketing Design is a perfect blend of art and science. It's important to consider both visually appealing designs and their impact on user conversion and engagement. The speaker emphasizes that design should serve the business goals and contribute to customer action and brand affinity. They discuss the role of a creative director at ConvertKit and how they lead a multi-disciplinary team responsible for evolving the brand and reducing marketing assets. The episode explores the speaker's experience of advocating for a role change that aligns better with their career goals and the supportive environment at ConvertKit. Collaboration and tension between the brand studio team and the marketing team are discussed, particularly in the context of launching a new feature like the Creator Network. The importance of being a brand for creators by creators is highlighted, with a focus on showcasing real creators and their creative spaces in the ConvertKit brand. The speaker explains the process of managing illustrations internally and the ongoing development of the illustration style. The relationship between brand and marketing design with other internal design systems is explored, highlighting the importance of communication and shared resources. The speaker talks about what makes a brand visually iconic, emphasizing the need for a point of view and basing design decisions on deep knowledge of the target audience. Advice is given on the significance of understanding HTML and CSS for designers, and the speaker encourages designers to explore different fonts and expand their typographic choices. In terms of content strategy, the speaker suggests starting with content rather than copy or design. They explain the importance of considering the message and goals before determining the exact words or layouts. The speaker emphasizes the need for designers to contribute to content strategy and provide feedback on the flow and communication of information. Finally, the speaker discusses the importance of creative thinking and concept development in marketing design, expressing their desire to invest more time in this area and maintain their high standards of creative output.