Lean Into Your Weird: Amy Esplen on Brand Storytelling
Amy Esplen’s portfolio moves between branding, signage, digital work, artwork, packaging and even 3D, and she credits her early years at a design agency for giving her the confidence to take all of it on. This week she talks about screen printing her way into her first job, building a massive public art installation on her due date, and why the “weird” parts of a brand are usually the best parts.
Amy Esplen's design work Amy Esplen's design work Amy Esplen's design work Amy Esplen's design work Amy Esplen's design work
You had your sights set on Him & Her, and even after they told you they weren’t hiring, you stayed in touch. Then, for one final shot, you screen printed 15 pairs of jeans to get their attention. What made you think that might actually do the trick?
The moment I met Erin Martin (Her of Him & Her) I knew that she was a brilliant creative, swamped with fantastic lists of ongoing things. A woman like that sees great portfolios more often than not. Considering they weren’t hiring, I knew I needed to do something a bit out of left field to catch her attention. Knowing her now I realize, that she probably wasn’t that blown away by the jeans but appreciated the gesture and how it spoke about my ability to think outside the box. The really cool thing was that during my time at Him & Her this line of thinking was normal and everyone that worked there was quite exceptional at it. I have never felt so fortunate to work with so many talented humans.
As a fellow graphic designer, one of the things I love about your portfolio is its breadth. You move between branding, signage, digital work, artwork, packaging and even 3D. What gives you the confidence to take on so many different kinds of creative work?
Well thank you that is really so kind! The truth is working at an agency first is a fantastic way to become a Swiss Army knife. It gives you the chance to become well versed in many different areas. Also design does feel like a tool box that allows you to tackle many different things with the same set of skills and principles. Though I must be honest 3D was incredibly humbling and still is because it feels wildly different on the back end than most other mediums I have tackled in the past.
Every designer has that one project that makes them wonder, “Can I actually pull this off?” Which project was that for you, and what did it teach you?
Oooooo this is a great question. So well working my agency job I took on a freelance job to build a massive public installation on Princess Street in Uptown Waterloo called The Slats. It started at Loloan Lobby Bar and went all the way down to King St. I took on the project while being newly pregnant with my first child and really having no understanding of what was to come. Really I just thought I would be a bit wider and it would be fine.
The project timeline was my due date. Before this I genuinely was unaware that babies could come before your due date. Thank goodness mine was a big time chiller. I would say I had many moments of “Can I actually pull this off?” I should preface that I built this entire thing from my driveway and my garage, so the neighbours I only imagine had many thoughts as I continued to get quite wide and waddled up and down the driveway.
On my due date we installed this massive public modular seating installation and it blew my mind. Seeing my design and fabrication come to life in my community, watching people interact with it and seeing it light up the space was very fulfilling. It taught me the true power of design, while also teaching me that I could accomplish crazy things. This craziness was enough to help me power through those first few hard months of postpartum.
Many of your clients have poured their hearts into building a business. How do you uncover the story that becomes the foundation of their brand?
Lots and lots of questions, investing in learning the ins and outs of their business as well as who they are as people. I don’t know of many independent businesses that don't have fantastic stories of how they got where they are and why they are doing what they are doing.
My partner has started three businesses in the 12 years I have known him and I have always been the free graphic designer behind the scenes. Watching him and learning about the true pain points of independent business owners has given me such an appreciation and ability to understand the why and transform brand stories into relatable and digestible moments.
What’s something that almost everyone overlooks, but you can’t stop noticing?
This is a great question! I don’t think everyone overlooks this but I can’t stop noticing when a brand or person leans into their weird. As you get older don’t you appreciate the weird things about yourself or others and how they make you special? Those are golden nuggets and I truly believe that if you can find them in a brand and build a storyline around them, you can create connection, community and relatability in a way that differentiates you from the crowd.
I have a skill for thinking differently. For being able to build weird and wonderful things that feel relatable and digestible. The truth is this only reaches its true potential if the person I am building it for also is ready to lean into their weird and stand out from the crowd in a new or funky way.
If you opened your inbox tomorrow and found an email from your dream collaborator saying, “Let’s make something together,” whose name would you hope to see?
You know what is wild: when I read this question, it’s not a person or a brand that comes to mind. It is the type of client. It is someone trying to celebrate the mundane. It is someone that is a great collaborator, decisive and knows their audience and is ready to transform their brand.
And then on the other hand, I have been dying to do branding work for a plumber. Just going to put that out into the world.
Amy’s approach to brand storytelling starts with noticing what makes a person or business a little different, then building the story around that instead of smoothing it over. The “weird” parts of a brand, she says, are usually the parts worth leaning into.
She built The Slats from her own driveway while very pregnant, with no real guarantee it would come together in time, and she says it taught her she could accomplish “crazy things.” That same willingness to trust herself is what lets her lean into a brand’s weird parts instead of trying to smooth them into something safer. Both things come from the same place: a comfort with not knowing exactly how something will turn out, and doing it anyway.
To see more of Amy's work, check out her website: https://www.amyesplen.com/
This series works because people keep pointing me toward the next great conversation. If someone’s creativity has been inspiring you lately, tell me who they are. I’d love to talk to them next.
Until next week, Christine
