Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Brueggemann.
Hi Alison, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I fell in love with graphic design, and namely the process of creating and crafting brands, while working as a project manager for a housing developer in the early 2000s.
I had hired a local design firm the create a brand and website for a Minneapolis condo project and I was absolutely taken with how design merged strategy with creativity, employing process to guide the way to an end product that reflected and conveyed our vision for the project. While always drawn to and invested in making art, I had never felt as aligned with an area of practice as I did with design. I enrolled in a post-bac graphic design program at MCAD, where I had my butt kicked by my teachers and fellow students, growing and learning in ways I had never experienced before. It was absolutely incredible and one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
And it led to my first job, working at a small design studio in Lowertown St. Paul — Blinc Publishing. Blinc was owned and operated by Bill Moran, my typography teacher, who became a mentor and facilitated so much of my growth as a designer. Bill allowed me to continue to explore and grow as his employee, taking on a wide variety of projects and continuously growing in my role at the studio. In 2008, work at the studio started to dry up as a result of the recession, and I started picking up freelance work to offset things.
This evolved into me freelancing full time, continuing to do work with Bill as well as growing my own loyal clientele. In 2015, I formalized my design practice as Storied Creative, choosing the name based on my love for stories and my passion for bringing my client’s stories to life as compelling and captivating brands, which remains the focus of my work to this day.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not! Much like any business, there is an ebb and flow to how busy I am. It’s a constant practice to accept this and manage my stress around being either too busy or not busy enough. I think the hardest part is trusting that I can manage in either extreme and that the extremes usually balance each other out. I also struggle with imposter syndrome, which is so easy to slip into when you work for and by yourself.
I’ve learned that having a good peer group is an important means to offsetting these insecurities, where you can usually discover a.) that others experience these same feelings and b.) you’re doing a lot better than you may think you are! And of course, clients are always challenging to manage and collaborate with. I’ve developed a pretty tough skin for feedback and a process to facilitate successful projects, but sometimes things just go sideways despite my best efforts.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I provide a wide variety of graphic design services (art direction, branding, and website design [UI/UX]), to small businesses, start-ups, and nonprofits. The following principles guide and inform my work:
COLLABORATION: I prioritize engaging in a collaborative process with all my clients as I believe it is key to developing robust, irresistible creative solutions that meet our collective strategy and goals for the projects.
STRATEGY: I adore taking a team through the creative process. I have developed a process that prioritizes early exploration to set and develop clear strategic goals and expectations. My desire is for all stakeholders to feel invested and inspired while driving the project to deliver results that meet our goals and deliver ongoing results.
STORYTELLER: My mind endlessly crafts stories. As soon as I encounter a striking idea, I start to envision its origin, why it’s compelling, and what makes it unique. I want to know how all the pieces fit together and imagine how they could fit even better. I put this passion to work for my clients with impressive results.
BEAUTIFUL AND INSPIRING DESIGN: I want both my clients and their audience to be visually captivated and inspired by the visuals I craft for them. I believe beauty captures our emotional attention, which is first and foremost in engaging our busy minds and forming connections.
DEVOTED HEART: I have a passion for amplifying the stories of those who do good. Working on projects that positively impact people’s lives has long been a priority for me.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
A few things that make me happy are:
– When a design solution I’ve been stuck on suddenly starts to turn and the pieces fall into place in a way I hadn’t begun to imagine.
– When a client can see how the strategy we established at the start of our process clearly translates into the end visuals and they are so excited to share with others.
– When I successfully push myself to new levels of design exploration and successfully translate the ideas behind this to a client.
– When I start digging into a new project and I get to learn about all the pieces that form this unique design challenge.
I would say all of these make me happy because they touch on the most engaging aspects of my work, fueling my purpose as a designer and lighting up my creativity.
Contact Info:
- Website: storiedcreative.com
