We are speaking with the Philadelphia Region’s premier creative talent, to find out their views regarding the assets of the region, the challenges of owning a business and how the industry has grown in past years. Below is an interview with Bliss & White, a full-service graphic design firm started by two young professionals in the Philadelphia Region.
How do you think the graphic and visual arts and multimedia design industry sector competes in the Philadelphia Region?
The entrepreneurial spirit is flourishing within Philadelphia’s design industry. There’s no shortage of talented business people who run highly successful and fiercely competitive companies. In order to thrive in the local economy, we need to be competitive on all levels. Both in the creative solutions we provide, as well as the professional manner in which we deliver them. This trend of shrewd business practice among designers is starting to demonstrate itself in the region’s economical facts and figures. The numbers speak for themselves—we creatives are making a significant and measurable contribution to the overall success of the regional economy and should be considered a force to be reckoned with when it comes to economic development and policy!
What are the assets of the graphic and visual arts and multimedia design industry sector in Philadelphia?
By far, one of Philadelphia’s greatest assets is its location. Nestled halfway between DC and NYC, it gives members of the design industry access to both the resources and creative inspiration that these areas are known for. But for businesses that seek to utilize our industry, Philly is both physically and psychologically more accessible than our counterparts to the north and south. Our down-to-earth, authentic approach to service, solutions, and innovation is putting Philly on the map as a viable and attractive alternative for buyers throughout the region.
Another great asset is the broad range of industry sectors that reside in the greater Philadelphia region. From pharmacy and technology, to higher education and arts/culture, there is a steady demand for the wide variety of services our industry can provide. It’s definitely a driving force behind the sustained success of the design sector here.
How has and visual arts and multimedia design industry sector grown over the past five years? Ten years?
Over the past decade, both creative and non-creative industries alike began to take greater initiative in driving their own look and style, and really started to understand the value of strong, professional branding. Particularly, the potential for financial growth associated with distinctive and creative solutions. The trend toward branding awareness has continued to grow as small to mid-size companies started taking cues from the big guys on how to build positive perceptions and marketplace influence. Today it’s almost a given—even for small start-ups—that a company has a professional image and polished branding!
In the last five years, technology has also been a driving force behind the design industry’s growth. Huge leaps and bounds have kept constant pressure on companies to stay up to date and to utilize every possible portal as a marketing tool—most notably, the push toward mobile devices. For creative service providers, this has meant increased opportunity, increased growth, and possibly most important, increased interconnectedness with our fellow creative and technology sector colleagues. These expanding networks that companies like ours rely upon to help us deliver a more complete range of service to our clients, has no doubt helped to solidify growth and stability both within and around the design sector in our region.
What is your advice for young professionals working in/trying to break into and visual arts and multimedia design industry sector?
Stay hungry and think big! Although there’s plenty of work out there for all of us, this is a competitive industry and we’re all going to fight not just for our own piece of the pie, but for your piece too! If you’ve got that entrepreneurial bug, use your creative talents to your advantage—our ability to generate new and edgy ideas is what sets us apart from other industries. Be fresh not just in the work you create, but also in the way you do business. Also take advantage of the many resources here in the region when it comes to business development, networking opportunities, investment, etc. Getting involved with organizations like Innovation Philadelphia and other business organizations has helped us so much. We feel like we’re plugged into the creative energy at the source—it motivates and inspires us!
What are the challenges of owning a business in your industry in the Philadelphia Region?
Although Philly is a big city, it still can feel like a small town in that you need to make a name for yourself and build a strong reputation. Without that, you run the risk of being overlooked. As entrepreneurs, it’s been both a challenge as well as a great reward to establish a solid network of resources, connections, and contacts that have helped thrust our business forward. As our network has grown, so has our business—and with that comes the everyday responsibilities of maintaining it.
For example, we quickly learned that it’s not enough to just have great ideas and natural design skills. To be successful, we have to have a mind for business and an instinct to survive. Sometimes that can be a pitfall for great designers—they have the creative talent, but they don’t have the skills to maintain a viable business. We learned some lessons early on that taught us to keep a good balance between the challenging, but rewarding business side, and the passionate and fulfilling creative side. I guess you could call it the Bliss & White Yin Yang Model for Creative Business Success!
Innovation Philadelphia is committed to supporting technology-driven economic growth in the Philadelphia region through growing the region’s for-profit creative industries, attracting and retaining young professionals vital to economic growth, and fostering entrepreneurism and new ideas.
About Bliss & White
Bliss & White, LLC is full-service graphic design firm owned and operated by Lisa A. May and Christine Fajardo. As a newly emerging business, Lisa and Christine draw on over 15 years of combined industry experience, resources, and talent to serve a wide range of clients in the Philadelphia and surrounding region. They pride themselves on their capacity to adapt and keep their ideas fresh, regardless of their client’s industry or size. They specialize in visual brand identity development for both new and existing companies, by providing everything from logo design, business card and stationary design, print and web marketing and advertising collateral, website design, and more. “Our primary focus is to bring good, solid design to the masses. We feel that every business—even every individual—deserves great design. There’s nothing more satisfying than watching not only our client’s businesses grow, but their pride of ownership and confidence, too!”