Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alex McGinness. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Alex with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I’ve always been a really responsible person. In fact, I won a responsibility award in 3rd grade (that I’m still clearly proud of.) With that baseline in mind, I made a promise to myself when I was about 10 years old that I was going to succeed in life, that I was going to do my best to make my dreams come to life, and that I wasn’t going to let my circumstances stop me from doing the things I wanted to do in life. Ultimately, this has led to me working really hard to do everything I set my mind to. To graduating in the top 1% of my high school graduating class to taking the leap to start my own business, I have done everything in my power to put in my all to the goals I set for myself. Ultimately, I don’t let the world bring me down and have a deep understanding that if I just put my mind to something, I can probably do it. I don’t let anything hold me back. And if something gets hard, I’ve learned to get support as well.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a design alchemist who works primarily in branding and web design. I use intuition, magic and strategy to create brand experiences for my clients that are authentic to them in every way. I primarily work in Squarespace and Shopify, and use those platforms to create functional websites that help my clients achieve their goals. I imbue those sites with meaningful branding which helps create a brand experience that is as unique as each client I work with. In my branding practice, I use strategic research, astrology, tarot, color theory and more to get to know my clients on a deep level. Recently, I’ve been working on Squarespace website templates based on the 12 zodiac signs. I also have introduced a new service, astrobranding, where I look at a client’s chart to gain insight for their visual brand.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Learning to properly code was a huge benefit to me and my career. I wouldn’t be where I am today as a web designer without having a proper understanding of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I’m not an expert by any means, and ther’es always room to grow when it comes to my understanding of code. But being willing to stay humble, continue to learn about coding has helped me improve the quality of my websites tremendously over time.
2. Having a process or a system of organization helps so much as a small business owner. It’s impossible to work effectively with clients when you’re disheveled and unclear about the steps you are taking to achieve their goals. Having a well thought out design process, coupled with organizational tools like a project management system (my favorite is Notion) has really done wonders for my clients. When everyone’s clear about what we’re doing and where we’re headed, it’s easier to achieve our project goals. This is true for both me and my clients.
3. Staying curious is a really important skill that I nurture as a business owner. Following my interests, and continuing to learn and grow, help me introduce new ideas and ways of thinking into my work. It doesn’t matter if I’m looking into something for fun or diving into a topic specifically for work there is always something that I can take from what I learn that applies to the work I do in the world. I cherish new perspectives and the ability to bring those into the work I do when it feels appropriate.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I truly believe in community over competition. I love collaborating with fellow creatives and am always inspired by others and the work they do in the world.
I offer a development for designers service, which means that I will develop websites for designers if they don’t want to do that themselves. This is great because I can focus on the part of my business I’m truly passionate about, web development, while also getting to support other designers in my field. I love the fresh take on design that I get from collaborating with other designers.
Beyond designers, other service providers I’d love to partner with include photographers and videographers. I’m always in need of quality photos and videos to include in websites, and having go to local partners would be so helpful to get my clients the best photos and videos possible for their websites.
I also am always looking to partner with copywriters, since I do not write website copy for my clients. It’s not a service that I offer.
I am not super versed in SEO either, so I’d love to have SEO experts in my pocket that I can refer my clients to after we finish a project together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thearcoirisdesign.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thearcoirisdesign.co
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thearcoirisdesign.co
Image Credits
Katie Iredale Photography Anna Captured
