Meet the Brand Designer - Janet Cooke of Skyhouse Creative

10 Questions with Brand Designer Janet Cooke on her how she works her magic.

Janet Cooke of Skyhouse Creative was the mastermind behind our new look and vibe. 

 Working with her was fun and magical and I highly recommend her services for anyone who is looking for branding and web design. I took the opportunity to pick her brain about her work.

1. Where do you call home?

The New Hampshire Seacoast.  I feel so lucky to live here.  It's such a special place. 

2. I found you to be incredibly professional, diligent, enthusiastic and easy to work with. What motivates you when it comes to your work?

Thank you for saying that.  You are a dream client! My motivation really stems from wanting to serve a community of risk-takers.  The ones that followed their dreams and haven't looked back since.  I admire their courage and strength for starting their own business and helping them along the way. I design for them.

3. How did Skyhouse Creative come to be?

It truly happened organically. When I was working in marketing for a hotel management company, I would help friends and local businesses on the side.  Building websites and helping them market their business. Over time, referrals increased and the business began to grow.  I made the move to leave the corporate world about 3 years ago and haven't looked back since. 

4. Your love for the process of branding and web design shines through. What do you most love about your work?

I love helping to guide my clients through the creative process.  The most rewarding part is when a client says that they can see the brand coming together or when a client says they just booked a piece of business after we just launching their new website.  It's the best to be considered an extension of their team and a small part of their entrepreneurial journey.  It's such a rewarding feeling.

5. How do you pull the magic out of people?

Hmmm, good question.  I think guidance is a huge part of the process.  Asking the questions that they perhaps wouldn't think of in terms of their brand and business.  Challenging them to think outside of their comfort zone and be open-minded to a new design direction they may not have thought of. I've been really lucky to work with clients that are willing to do this.  

6. Providing products that deliver results is important to you. How does your business savvy inform what you do?

I am a forever student and always working to push myself.  In the ever-evolving world we live in, it's a must to stay on top of what's working for small businesses and what's not.  We're not just building a brand that looks beautiful. It has to resonate with the ideal client, we're strategic with our approach and help to build a profitable future.

7. How do you translate a business' mission into an aesthetic?

Great question. So we work really hard to develop branding elements that nurture the brand as a whole.  Our designs are made to resonate with the target audience. Knowing the client and the roots of the business and where they want to take things plays a big part. Our end goal is to always create an experience.  One that builds brand loyalty and a great reputation in the market.  

8. I felt like you really got me and what I was trying to accomplish from the start of our work together. How do you honor your clients?

Thank you for that.  I think being respectful and understanding to the client's wishlist is key but also challenging them to think outside of their comfort zone during our process is important. What we create together needs to be unique to them and their business.  We develop and refine until it's just right :)

9. If you could work with anyone who would it be?

Oh man! Do I have to choose? I love working with an array of different clients.  It keeps things really fun and creative.  If I had to, I'd say boutique hotels or restaurants. My love for the hospitality industry goes way back.  But really, I love to work with so many different clients.

10. What is the one thing you want to convey to readers?

I love this question!  I think the biggest takeaway is for readers to understand the difference between their brand vs. branding.  Your brand is a feeling.  It's how others perceive your business.  It's what they say about your business when you're not in the room.  Branding is an action.  It's the process taken to strategically create both written & design elements to help enhance your brand and its perception.  SkyHouse helps to nurture branding efforts through strategy and design.