We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sydney Michuda a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sydney, thank you so much for joining us today and appreciate you talking about a sensitive topic. It’s unfortunately relevant to so many in the community as layoffs have been on the rise recently, and so we’d appreciate hearing your story and how you overcame being let go?
In March of 2020, I was unexpectedly laid off. It was the very beginning of the pandemic in the U.S. People were starting to panic buy goods, and business were began closing. On Monday March 16 2020, I walked into work, a small design and branding shop in Milwaukee, WI. Once everyone was in for the day, we were summoned upstairs in groups to discuss our jobs and what’s happening in the world. We were basically told we all had to go home, there was no work for us to do, and we probably don’t have jobs. The agency’s primary clientele were in the restaurant, hospitality, and bar industries which all closed down due to the pandemic. With all the clients closed, there was no work for us to do, therefore, we didn’t have jobs.
Just like so many others, I went home, completely unsure of what the heck to do and what the future would hold. My career goals and plans had been totally disrupted and the world felt like it had come to a halt. Over the next few weeks, I applied for random graphic designer and art director jobs, but none that I really felt passionate about. With free time on my hands, I started trying to find freelance design work wherever I could; small brands for friends, little projects found through Behance Jobs, random illustration sets. For the past year or two, my goal was to eventually be a full-time freelancer. I started thinking that now was as good a time as any to give it a shot.
By the end of summer, I found a few reliable clients (on Behance Jobs and personal connections), that I could count on for weekly work, one of them being a design/marketing agency. So while I could rely on them for part of my work week, I kept posting on social media, joining design groups, updating my portfolio, and looking for more work. As the world started to slowly come back to life, more work came my way.
In November of 2020, I did my first Adobe Live which brought a tons of new followers and clients my way. I’ve had a full schedule ever since and never looked back. While getting laid off felt like the worst thing ever, it turned out to be one of the best things for my career.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I graduated from UW-Whitewater in 2014 (oh my god I can’t believe that’s 10 years ago…) and got my first job right out of school at a Milwaukee based advertising agency. After 3 years there, I needed a new challenge so I sought a job that was more design focused. I was hired at a design and branding shop that was extremely demanding and required peak creativity. While working there, I started Super Creative as a way to sell my designs as products and to have a more official name to conduct business under. When the pandemic hit, I was let go from my agency gig so I decided to take Super Creative full-time. It’s been almost 4 wild years packed with branding, illustrations, late nights, so much coffee, and no looking back.
At Super Creative, my/our main focus is brand identity design. I’ve always been drawn to branding, probably because, to me, it seems like the most creative yet challenging work I can get my hands on. It allows me to create something almost completely from scratch. A logo, a visual system, a concept, a way to tell a brand’s story, completely new and fresh. It’s also always made sense to me because it feels like the perfect combination of creativity and business. I get to make new unique designs that are true to the client, their audience, and their industry. Like many other designers out there, I have other specialties, like web design, illustration, packaging, and more.
At this time, I’m still quite focused on branding for thoughtful small businesses, but I’m branching out and expanding as well. I have a small team of freelancers that help with my workload so we can tackle more work and clients. Even more exciting though, I’m currently working on creating courses and resources to support, educate, and mentor other designers! Right now, I’m building a course to teach my branding process to others. My plan is to launch the Super Brand Design Course on March 19th, 2024. Once that’s out in the world, I’m planning to release mini courses, ebooks, fonts, templates, and more. If you’re interested in that kind of thing, be sure follow me on IG for updates! My handle is @supercreative.co.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I actually have 4 skills that have been the most helpful and impactful in my journey.
The first is creativity. A little obvious sure, but still so important. The ability to think outside the box, see possibilities unseen by most, and create new artful creations are the foundations of every designers out there. Some creativity is a talent you’re born with, while most creativity is a skill learned through experience and practice.
Second, a more literal skill, is illustration. As a designer, it’s SO helpful to be able to draw, explore different styles, and properly execute those illustrations. It allows you to create so many different kinds of logos, brand illustration sets, custom illustration projects, you name it. Like creativity, some people are naturally gifted, but it’s definitely a skill you can learn and grow with practice.
Third, is empathy. Empathy has allowed me to understand the client, who they are, why they do what they do, their likes and dislikes and why. It also helps me understand their audience, their goals and pain points, what will catch their eye and make an impact. Armed with that empathy and knowledge of others, you can then create the right concepts and styles to fit the client and their audience.
The fourth is endurance. A career as a designer can be a challenging field and can easily lead to burnout and an empty tank. While burnout should definitely be avoided, it’s important to be able to push yourself, keep learning, and power through tough times.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
While I work with a super wide variety of people across many industries, certain types of clients are always standout favorites. My ideal clients are often passionate, kind, and positive at their most basic. People that are trust me as the expert to explore all options and create the best outcome. And those that are still professional and responsive are even better.
In terms of industry, I absolutely love working with clients in the food and drink space. Whether it’s a restaurant, cafe, packaged snacks, bottled beverages, working with that industry is always so fun and inspiring. I also enjoy working with clients in the creative fields and in the retail/ecommerce space as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: supercreative.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supercreative.co/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-michuda-5146435a/
- Other: Behance: https://www.behance.net/SydneykMichuda
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/supercreativeco/
Image Credits
Headshot credit to Nicole Caliva Photo
