Interview with Rachel Ott from Canada

Since childhood, I've been leaning in that professional direction. When somebody would read me a story, even as a small child, I would be fascinated by the paper and the textures of the paper–whether it was glossy or not. Remember the Dick and Jane books? I remember thinking I didn't like the font, even in kindergarten. So I think this was in my destiny; it was in my DNA.

I started the company in 2001. What I love about Varga Girl Design is that we've built this excellent reputation of being able to do almost anything for anybody. Although I primarily work with smaller enterprises, I create branding, which includes naming, a tagline, the logo, the branding guidelines, I develop the website, and all the print collateral and digital assets. It's really a broad spectrum of stuff. I do design for conservative corporate companies or something as unique as a seafood distributor.

Design is really about communicating. It's about communicating an idea. It's about communicating your personality. It's about communicating your ethos. So what I strive for in every design is that it will represent my client as best as I can, in whatever way they want to be perceived.

I really excel in branding because it's about what I like the most. It's about distilling an entire enterprise into the simplest, cleanest and most direct visual way.

Often designers will design with the wrong motivation, they will sometimes think about ,"Will this win an award?" or "Is this clever enough?". When really what they should be thinking about is a good design. They SHOULD ask, is it a direct communication that is expressing your idea whatever it might be, in the simplest form so that the vast majority of people can understand it?

I like to say that I can design in any style and I think most designers do, but as I've said, you know when Tom Cruise is in a movie. It doesn't matter who he's playing, he's always a little bit Tom Cruise and that's true of designers. I have a certain style. It's slightly softer and more feminine than some but I strive to create design that isn't really an expression of what my taste is. It's what my client's taste is.

I follow a highly-intentional, highly-focused brainstorming process over 2-4 weeks. I meet with my client in an effort to understand why they do what they do, what speaks to their core value proposition and their own style and preferences. I identify the purpose of the design and what constitutes success.

After decades in this business, I have established a very sensitive instinct to what my clients want and need.

After discussing the tangible and intangible factors that make the client unique, I present options that I've created based on the information gleaned in our initial meetings.

Our clients have an opportunity to review designs and provide feedback for revisions. We don't stop until they love it–and I mean really love it.

Then we provide all of the digital files and formats they'll need to put the design to good use, as well as a release granting sole ownership to the client.

When I'm creating something and the opportunity arises to inject a certain amount of personality or comedy or lightness, I do. I think that's very Canadian. Canadians are kind, funny, and optimistic; I think my designs reflect that.

It's huge because as a female entrepreneur, we often are too humble about our accomplishments. It's a great opportunity to remind myself and my company that we are standing shoulder to shoulder with the best and brightest designers in the world.

This work was a good example of creating a brand that included a logo, a website, packaging, and design—so, taking basically nothing more than a conversation with a client and coming up with a fully fleshed-out brand identity.

The biggest challenge was the budget. The client is a small organization creating a beauty line with limited funds. We didn't have the budget to create custom bespoke spun glass or packaging. We had a limited budget to create something special so I wanted it to be a really clean and simple design that worked within the parameters of Canadian bilingual packaging and could express the purity and the high-quality product on a minimal budget.

Awards are an important part of adding relevancy to smaller boutique agencies like Varga Girl Design. We can go up against the big boys and frequently do.

It's nice to do something creative for a living, although it's not without its struggles. As an entrepreneur, I appreciate the freedom that goes with it, setting my own hours, etc. I work very hard. I like my clients and having a variety of work with a variety of clients.

My hope is at the end of every project that we leave with a creative connection.

Canada has a smaller population than the US but we're full of talent. One can go after a job like becoming a designer–something that is challenging to achieve. Still, because the government has support systems (universal healthcare and that kind of thing), you're not going to be stuck working at a menial job for the sole purpose of maintaining health insurance.

AI is a huge component that we need to consider and I'm already starting to see it pop up with illustration and writing.

You have to be tenacious, you have to be willing to work really hard and put yourself out there. I would say in my college class, I was not the most talented, but I was the most tenacious to go out there and find a job and get into the industry. And my fortitude definitely paid off.

You need to challenge yourself by just doing the work every day. When you don't have a project, create something out of thin air that you can challenge yourself with. You have to constantly hone those skills.

I'm in this with my husband of almost 20 years who has always been a huge supporter and a big fan, and as an entrepreneur himself, he's been somebody who's really helped me to believe in myself.

A client asked me recently why I think they chose me for a project and I didn't really know why. She said it was because I bring so much enthusiasm to the project. I think that's true. I take every project on with 100% attention and excitement and give whatever I can to it.

You have to, you have to approach everything as something that you're shooting for the stars on. If you can't bring that kind of enthusiasm and attention to your project, then either delay it or don't take it on.