Hi Michelle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Clear Lake, TX and, after moving around, I landed back in Houston about 5 years ago. I love what this city has to offer. I enjoy exploring art museums and trying new restaurants in Houston. I also enjoy reading, the occasional trash TV show, and weekends on Lake Travis in Austin.
I spent seven years as a Registered Nurse. I started to feel like I was missing using my creativity so I took a leap of faith and opened Archway House Design, which is a graphic design and brand strategy business. As a brand strategist, my goal is to help small businesses and creatives make their pipe dream a reality through meaningful, clear branding. Archway House Design combines my love for creativity with my goal to assist talented individuals. As an RN, I learned professionalism, and I am committed to excellence, which crosses over into leading my company.
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?
The hardest part was transitioning my career. My identity, work experience, and educational background were tied to being a Registered Nurse, but I knew I needed a job that offered more opportunities for creativity. It took me a while to accept that it was OK to move on from this career and pursue something different. Once I came to terms with wanting a career change, I started to build myself up as a creative while still working as a Registered Nurse. I did this by interning with an interior designer, starting a podcast, and teaching myself graphic design. This allowed me to explore my passions, and through this exploration, it became very clear to me that I wanted to be a brand strategist. At this time, everything came together and I felt confident in my skills to leave my RN career and start my own small business. It has not been the easiest road, but it is 100% worth it, as I now feel that I am living out my true purpose and identity. I continue to push through any self-doubt and accept that I can achieve my dreams through hard work, passion, and dedication.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Archway House Design is a graphic design and brand strategy business. Archway House Design builds comprehensive, clear brand identities for small businesses, creatives, artisans, and entrepreneurs. In today’s fast and easy digital culture, it is important to build a brand that establishes loyalty over convenience and sets your business apart from the crowd.
Archway House Design helps your business stand out by working through the process of branding. The process begins with multiple brainstorming conversations to help you zone in on your business goals, mission/vision and reviewing your competition. I then use these elements to provide a mood board that will strategically represent your brand’s look and feels. With the approval of the mood board, I design and provide you with a graphic design digital brand kit. The brand kit includes logo design and logo variations, business card design, typeface and color guidelines, and tips on how to use the brand kit. I’d then love to take it a step further by designing your collateral items (pdfs, social media mockups, stationery, packaging, etc.).
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I co-host a podcast called ‘That Space Podcast,’ which highlights space entrepreneurs and space enthusiasts through conversations about the revitalization and commercialization of the space industry.
Pricing:
- brand strategy and brand kit package total $900
Contact Info:
- Email: archwayhousedesign@gmail.com
- Website: archwayhousedesign.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archwayhousedesign/
Image Credits
photographs of me are by Lost Gold Media.
